Call Me, Beep Me
by Texan Red Rose
Summary: She's your basic, average girl, and she's here to save the world. You can't stop her 'cause she's Anna Andersen. [Frozen/Kim Possible fusion, Elsanna, no incest]
1. Basic, Average

**Disclaimer**: No, I don't own Frozen or any other Disney things. I wish I did though. Also, here's your warning: look at my fics, look at my ships- if you honestly don't see where this is going, you should probably just turn around now.

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><p>Anna didn't think of herself as exceptional in any notable way. She was of average height, a little on the slim side, with red hair to her shoulders that was always bound in her signature braids, a light dusting of freckles across her cheeks, and... well, she was still growing into her body, so she didn't worry about that. Too much. Yup, she was pretty normal, excluding perhaps being luckier and clumsier than the average teenage girl. Oh, and she had a rather special knack for getting into extraordinary circumstances in far off locations on a semi-regular basis.<p>

Like, for instance, the situation in which she currently found herself.

"Kristoff!" Anna called out, ducking a swipe at her head that would've given her the worst- and most literal- brain freeze of her life. She could feel her skin crawling with goosebumps under her light blue mission shirt, reminding herself for the umpteenth time that she needed to invest in warmer mission clothes the next time she went out to save the world from these particular offenders. "A little help please?"

"Workin' on it!" The blond boy yelled back while doing his best to dislodge his ice pick from the sputtering remains of yet another miniature doom-bot. Once it was free he stumbled back, barely kept upright by Sven's antlers catching him. "Woo, thanks, buddy." He turned to see Anna doing her usual deadly duel/sexy dance thing with the Ice Queen, flashes of blue and white chasing the redhead's form as she dodged. "Aw, man."

He had to contain his joy as more doom-bots entered the room, flanking the cause of yet another how-do-we-survive-this situation. The last time he'd tried 'helping' Anna fight the Ice Queen was... a decidedly bad decision on his part and a lesson in frostbite and hypothermia he _really_ didn't want to repeat, so he much preferred to take his chances with the doom-bots. Pushing his rolled up sleeves up past his elbows- he still couldn't comprehend why Anna insisted they wear matching shirts on these forays but at least he got to wear his favorite, lucky black vest with it- he charged to the far side of the room.

"Why is it that every time I try to take over the world," The Prince began as his boots scuffed the floor angrily with every step, "you two show up to thwart me?" He crossed his arms over his chest, cape billowing slightly as the doom-bots advanced on Kristoff. The cape- like his jacket and paints- was a crisp white, accented by gold, matching the epaulettes on his shoulders, and purple, matching the cravat about his neck. Hit boots, though, were a shiny, polished black. "Seriously, do I have a GPS chip embedded in my skin or something? Cops, I can deal with, feds, bring 'em, Interpol, Global Justice, fine, but I'm getting sick and _tired_ of you kids ruining my every bid for success!"

"Hey! We're _so_ not kids!" Anna retorted jumping clear of a blast of ice just in time and rolling away as her opponent landed a flying kick in the space she'd just vacated. She nearly lost her balance on the ice, true, but that ended up working in her favor, the reduced friction allowing her to clear the woman's reach as she turned those piercing blue eyes on Anna.

"Yeah, we're considered adults in some states you know!" Kristoff called out, skipping away from one of the doom-bot's clunky swipes while hitting the other's body with the side of his pick. It didn't do much aside from focus both bots' attention on Kristoff, which he promptly used to his advantage by running, drawing them away from where Anna and the Ice Queen were fighting.

"Right," the Ice Queen stated, an air of nonchalance enveloping her almost as completely as the frosted wisps of power firmly entwined around her hands. The white and blue of her power- maybe it was magic, Anna had yet to learn exactly the nature of her nemesis' powers- was represented in her uniform, a light blue, halter top that exposed her midriff and shoulders, gloves accented in white that went up to her elbows, and form fitting pants tucked into white boots with an absolute killer heel. Hair so light it bordered on white was pulled into a thick braid that hung midway down her back, lips covered in white, glossy lipstick, and a constant look that practically screamed indifference completed the look; Anna was certain the name 'Ice Queen' wasn't chosen at random as every move and word practically oozed regal grace and cool indifference.

It always served to make Anna feel a little under-dressed in comparison; the nicest clothes she had to wear on missions didn't do much in the way of flattering her admittedly non-existant figure. She didn't exactly have the budget to spend on nice clothes that would get ripped to shreds on a regular basis.

"Ice Queen, could you please wrap this up sometime this week?" The Prince called out, massaging his temples with both gloved hands. "Just once, I'd like to make it to Step Four of my plan. Just once."

"To be successful in that, you should probably start coming up with better plans," the woman replied, settling into a fighting stance once more, a concentrated ball of ice and snow already gathering in her left hand.

Anna quickly settled into her own stance, fists raised in defense and feet ready to move at a moment's notice.

The Prince sighed heavily, stroking one of his sideburns in thought as he mumbled to himself. "Maybe I should invest in a new sidekick. One who _doesn't_ insult me at nearly every turn." He paused, tapping a finger against his chin. "Or one who isn't always _right_."

With a flick of her wrist, the spell was cast, shooting just past Anna's shoulder as she ducked low, rolling into a backwards somersault and finding her feet just in time to block a particularly wicked kick aimed at her head with her forearms. She didn't have much time to consider how badly it's going to bruise because she's already dodging the left hook coming at her, countering with a few jabs of her own that forced Ice Queen to retreat a little, sliding on the ice like she was born there. Luckily, Anna had the time to get spikes attached to her boots to combat the constant fighting on ice, but she wasn't entirely convinced she could put any real power into her kicks and retain her balance quite yet.

Unable to put up a real offensive strike, Anna darted to the side to dodge another beam of ice, glancing around her quickly to get her bearings. Just as she'd suspected, her opponent was using the shots to block her exit routes, making an arena of ice around them. That was pretty much normal- The Prince tried to take over the world, Anna and Kristoff showed up to stop him, Ice Queen came out of nowhere to beat the stuffing out of Anna, Kristoff did something, stuff exploded, another successful mission- and weirdly comforting; she was fairly certain the day Ice Queen _stopped_ trying to fence her in would be the day she was actually trying to kill the redhead.

So far, it was more like a very violent game of Simon Says: Ice Queen wanted her to roll right, she either rolled or ended up a popsicle. Which was pretty unfair, in the redhead's opinion.

Charging forward and dropping to her knees, Anna managed to slip beneath another shot of ice and close the distance quickly, planting one foot into the ice once she was close enough and putting all her energy into tackling Ice Queen to the ground. Her arms encircled the woman's waist, bringing them crashing to the ice. Anna quickly gained the upperhand, trapping Ice Queen under her as she threw a solid into the woman's side while using her other arm to keep her opponent pinned to the ice. After groaning from the initial hit, Ice Queen recovered, collapsing Anna's arm and rocking her hips, rolling them over until Anna's back was flat against the cold, _cold_ ice.

Gritting her teeth, Anna blocked a punch or two directed at her face before jabbing Ice Queen in the gut and using the surprise attack to separate them, throwing her opponent off of her and sliding in the opposite direction across the ice.

What she wouldn't give to fight this woman on firm ground.

As they scrambled to their feet- well, Anna scrambled while Ice Queen just stood up like it was nothing- and faced off again, the redhead wondered where Kristoff had disappeared to, though she had a pretty good guess. Her time to be concerned about her friend was up, however, as Ice Queen charged in, easily maneuvering across the ice, sliding into a low sweeping kick once she was in reach. Anna jumped over the attack, planting her feet firmly as the blonde rose up with a wicked upper cut that certainly would've knocked her lights out had it connected. As it was, her fist flew just an inch or two away from Anna's chin as she leaned back and threw a punch of her own, aiming for the center of the woman's face. She dodged, of course, but just barely, and trapped Anna's arm, pulling her forward and over her shoulder in a truly masterful judo throw that sent the redhead flying, fetching up roughly against a wall of ice that cracked and fell outside of the makeshift arena.

That's going to hurt tomorrow.

"Anna! Time to go!" Kristoff called out right before the alarms began to blare. Heaving herself up, the redhead grabbed the now considerably lower ice wall and vaulted over it, barely keeping herself from falling as she skidded on the broken ice beneath her and started running towards the entrance they'd used. Kristoff and Sven were already waiting.

"Found the self-destruct button, huh?" Anna grinned, noting the slightly panicked but mostly proud expression on her friend's face.

"No button this time; he programmed it into one of the main computers," Kristoff said as he lifted himself onto Sven's back, noting the surprise on the redhead's face. "I just tricked the doom-bots into blowing up the whole room. Figured that would trigger it but it comes with a downside."

"Which means...?"

Kristoff helped Anna up and grimaced. "No really helpful countdown to tell us how close we're going to escape death this time."

Anna threw her arms around Kristoff's waist. "Go fast, Sven, go really, _really_ fast."

"Hey, you don't-"

"Not the time, Kristoff!" Anna rolled her eyes, giving the reindeer a gentle nudge with her heels to let him know it was okay to bolt. Thankfully, Sven was just as concerned as Anna was about getting out and decidedly less concerned about who told him what. As the trio took off, their enemies were making their way to the hanger of the facility.

"Why does this keep happening?" The Prince groused, tossing a look over his shoulder.

Ice Queen, on the other hand, was smirking faintly. "Because you keep allowing it to happen. Why did you feel the need to set up your own self-destruct system?"

"I thought if it wasn't a _button_, that buffoon wouldn't be able to activate it." They reached the hanger, easing themselves into the parked hovercraft and readying for take-off with mindless ease. Under different circumstances, The Prince would've complained about how second-nature it was to prepare for a hasty take-off while trying to escape an explosion.

"Kids these days," Ice Queen replied, taking a firm hold of the yolk as she brought the hovercraft around and accelerated out of the hangar, leaving the base far behind them. Beside her, The Prince had his face buried in his hands and was groaning quietly.

"I don't get it, Elsa," the man said, dropping all pretense as his shoulders slumped. "How do those two keep making us look like idiots."

"As a point of order, Hans, they make _you_ look like an idiot," Elsa replied with the slightest hint of smugness in her tone. "I always come out looking awesome."

Hans rolled his eyes, rounding on her quickly. "Yeah right, you can't even beat that ginger girl! She wins _every_ time! And you have powers too!"

"That I don't use fully." She waved a gloved hand at him to accentuate her point. "You know it's harder for me to call forth the power of winter with these on; I intentionally handicap myself to keep things interesting. What's your excuse?"

He groaned, throwing himself back in his seat and, for all intents and purposes, pouting like a two year old throwing a tantrum. "It's just not fair! Every plan I make, if there's even a hairline fracture, they _find it_, it's like I'm _cursed_ or something! Really, what have they got against Hanstopia?"

"Hanstopia?" Elsa raised one brow, glancing at her employer/friend with a mocking air.

"I'm working on the name."

"Just make sure I get Iceland."

Temporarily distracted, the redhead rounded on her. "You do realize Iceland isn't made of ice, right? There's actually people who live there. Like, real people."

The blonde feigned shock as she turned to him. "Really? Those mystical beings called 'people' still exist? Notify the press!" She paused a moment, long enough for him to open his mouth to reply before she cut him off. "Wait, if they're _real_ people, what are we?"

"A smartass and a dumbass, I'd wager," Hans replied with a growl. "Did you take an extra dose of sass this morning?"

"No, Doctor, just the regular dose." She chuckled as he continued to express his displeasure at losing _and_ being teased. "You know, there's still time to just give up and go back to living a normal life before some unfortunate accident turns your skin blue or something."

"Not likely," Hans replied quickly, stroking his jaw. "My complexion is far too precious for anything to befall it, a work of divine architecture for certain, the envy of all, like the Titanic- shut up, I meant like the Empire State Building, not the Titanic, I didn't say that, shut up."

The blonde barely contained her laughter this time, opting to leave her companion to his brooding for the time being. While she loved poking his bruised ego after yet another failed attempt, she truly enjoyed seeing the spastic man-child she grew up with much more. So, she let him stew, all the while keeping them on course to retreat to their fortress, the one location their pursuers would never find them: the Ice Palace she created herself as a young woman, to hide away from the world when things got too tough.

Which was a lot.

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><p>Meanwhile, barely outside of the blast radius at the now destroyed facility, Kristoff and Anna were brushing themselves off, Sven prancing around them as they survived yet another near death experience.<p>

"Why do I keep going places with you?" Kristoff snorted, pulling his beanie off his head to shake the dirt off it. "Every time you say 'hey, Kristoff, I got another mission in this really cool place', that place ends up blowing up! Seriously, why do I keep letting you drag me into these situations?"

"Oh, come on, Kristoff, live a little!" Anna laughed, redoing one of her braids in order to get a stray twig free of the strands. "That wasn't nearly as bad as going to North Mountain our Freshman year."

"I thought we agreed; we do not speak of North Mountain, Anna. I still have nightmares." Kristoff shivered, pulling his vest a little closer to his chest.

Anna rolled her eyes. "It was just a crazy trust exercise! You act like outrunning an avalanche is hard."

"Trust exercise," Kristoff muttered, rolling his eyes. "It made me wonder why I trust you in the _first_ place."

"My hair got singed but I didn't lose my hearing," Anna shot over her shoulder while pulling free the little device she used for circumstances like these. She hadn't quite come up with a cool name for it yet but she was working on it. "Mr. Oaken, you there?"

"Yoo hoo!" The man's face filled the screen, a smile on his lips as he regarded the redhead. "I trust everything vent smoothly, ya?"

"As smooth as explosions can get!" Kristoff called, setting his beanie back on his head.

Anna ignored him and nodded. "Mission accomplished. Would it be possible to get us a ride?"

The man chuckled, nodding. "There's one on the vay. May take a vhile; you know the problem to find someone with the proper equipment to airlift a reindeer. Very low demand, very low supply."

"That's not his fault!" The blond instantly defended, rubbing his pet's shoulder.

She rolled her eyes, tucking the device away after a quick thanks as she returned her attention to her still irate friend. "I love Sven, you know I do, but maybe you should consider leaving him at home for missions?"

"Sven is a contributing member of this team." He patted Sven's shoulder as the reindeer nodded emphatically. "I don't see why he can't come along."

"Maybe if he was smaller and easier to carry it'd be easier, is all I'm saying. I'm not complaining, Kris, because Sven's awesome, aren't you Sven?" The redhead scratched under the reindeer's chin, smiling at the way he adored the attention.

Kristoff crossed his arms over his chest and glared at Anna. "Oh, what, like a naked mole rat? Do you realize how creepy that would be?"

"You live in the woods, talk to a reindeer, and practice ventriloquism so he can answer back; I think we achieved 'creepy' a long time ago." As he opened his mouth to argue, she held up a finger. "Plus, you're friends with me, the class klutz who likes to save the world in her downtime. Face it- we surpassed creepy and dove straight into unnerving before we turned fifteen."

Kristoff groaned, deeming the conversation pointless and sitting down in the dirt as they waited. Eventually, Anna took a seat as well, leaning her back against his, with Sven settling down beside them. The silence didn't last too terribly long. "Nice work with Ice Queen, by the way. She's pretty fierce, huh?"

"Yeah. Personally, I think she gets a kick out of it." Anna smiled, looking towards the setting sun on the horizon. "I mean, she never smiles or anything, but, I dunno, I get the feeling she has fun when we're fighting. I mean, why else would she stick with The Prince?"

"Be... cause... she's... evil?" He offered, shrugging slightly. "I dunno, maybe she just likes watching him fail? I mean, why does the The Prince want to take over the world anyway? Talk about a headache!" He looked over his shoulder. "It's not like it's an easy gig. Can you imagine what it would be like? Actually ruling the world, regulating economies, standardizing languages, or preserving cultures-"

"I don't think he's really into ruling the world in a real sense. I think he just wants the title. Ya know, to prove his manliness, or whatever."

"Why does everything any guy does come down to a little man complex with you?"

It was Anna's turn to shrug. "Maybe I just know a lot of little men?"

"You are _not_ lumping me into that group." He pushed back against her, his heavier frame forcing her to put considerable effort into not being folded in half. "Besides, I don't think it's some sort of self image thing. He always looks so... well, princely, with the capes, and the boots, the hair... epic sideburns."

"You're totally developing a man crush on our number one enemy, Kris," Anna teased, finding the weight she'd formerly put all her strength into pushing against suddenly disappear as her friend shot up and towered over her, a scowl set on his features.

"A man can appreciate another man's sideburns without it being a 'man crush' as you put it," he said, going so far as to use air quotes around her words.

"Oh God, Kris, you _so_ have a man crush on him!" The redhead giggled. "I can totally see it though; he is pretty dreamy."

"Oh, yeah, sure, I have a man crush on The Prince just like the raging lady boner you have for Ice Queen." He flippantly threw back at her.

Pushing herself up to her elbows, she smiled at him, throwing in a waggle of her eyebrows for added effect. "Can you blame me? Have you seen her hips? Rrrrrrr."

Kristoff covered his face with both hands, shoulders shaking from barely contained laughter. "Oh, for the love of all things, please never make that noise again. You sound like a dying vacuum."

"At least I don't suck as much as you then."

"That's it!"

Anna reacted too late, unable to stop the impending tickle assault. Ever since they were kids, whenever Kristoff began to lose an argument or was fed up with Anna's teasing, his only recourse was to tickle her until she begged for mercy. And it worked every time.

When the helicopter Oaken sent out finally reached the trio, they found the blond boy mercilessly assailing his ginger best friend as she flailed on the ground, a reindeer jumping around the two in excitement.

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><p>After disembarking the hovercraft and watching Hans stomp away to fume in his rooms for the remainder of the day, Elsa turned her attention to the duo of living snowmen she'd created years ago to keep her company. Marshmallow, as always, merely ensured she was uninjured before settling back into his corner of what she'd come to call her Ice Queen Cave, a spacious living room of sorts that housed her books and hobbies, the one room aside from her actual living quarters Hans was not allowed to enter in the Ice Palace.<p>

Olaf, on the other hand, was firing question at her a mile a minute. Once she fielded the usual ones- yes, they failed, yes, same trio of goody-two-shoes as usual, yes, she fought the redhead for a bit, no, she didn't hurt her, yes, the big guy blew the place up again, yes, they all made it out okay, and so on- he slowed down a bit.

"Hey, Elsa." Olaf hefted himself up beside her on the couch, where she sat reading a book. She regarded him a moment, giving him permission to continue. "Why do you do it?"

"Do what?"

"Help Hans." Olaf's head swiveled around- the benefit of having no skeleton, she supposed- before returning to look at her. "He just gets upset when he tries and, if you didn't help him, he would probably stop. So, why do you keep helping him?"

"Maybe I want to see him succeed."

He squinted at her. "If you wanted to see him succeed... why would you tell the people who stop you what you're doing?"

Elsa's brows rose in genuine surprise. While Olaf was sweet, brutally honest, and sometimes not the coldest ice cube in the freezer, she had never expected him to be quite so astute. "What makes you think I do, Olaf?"

"You left the computer upstairs logged in when you left. I read it. Don't worry, I shut it down before you guys got back."

Elsa allowed the relief to show on her face; while she doubted he would outright lie to protect her, Olaf would never betray her. Being honest with him was the easiest way to convey how well he needed to guard this particular secret. "At what point did you learn to operate a computer?"

"Hans taught me!" Olaf clapped his twig hands together, excitement written across his face. "He wanted me to help him with his research, so he taught me how to use it. It was the week you and Marshmallow went to get food."

"Oh. Right. So you closed out that window I left open?"

"And cleared the browser cache. Hans said that we should always clear the history and stuff, in case anyone comes here and tries to steal his brilliant designs." Olaf blinked at her. "I am quoting him directly on that."

"I'll take your word for it," she replied, chuckling as she drew the snowman into a hug. "To answer your question: I said I wanted to see him succeed. I don't exactly want him to take over the world, though, so I arrange for someone to... interfere at opportune moments."

"But why?"

"I'm rich and eccentric." Elsa shrugged. "It's something to do."

"But, if you didn't help Hans, you could spend more time with us!" Olaf glanced at Marshmallow- who was quite content listening to the conversation- but gasped as he started patting her thigh. "Oh, or you could go into one of the cities and meet people! And get warm hugs! Oh, can we do that some day, Elsa? Meet people and get warm hugs?"

Elsa smiled sadly, putting a hand on the snowman's head. "I'm sorry, Olaf, but I don't think we can do that. The world... is not particularly kind to things they don't understand. A talking snowman is something the world isn't ready for, just like my powers; we would be feared."

"But, there's no reason to fear us."

Elsa remained silent, her gaze unfocused. Eventually, she turned her attention to her book. "Yes, there is. I'm going to read now, Olaf."

"Oh... okay."

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><p>Anna startled awake as one of the crewmen shook Kristoff beside her; they were coming up on their destination and needed to get ready. Stretching her arms above her head, the redhead felt her muscles burn pleasantly after being slumped in the same position for so long. Kristoff yawned and did the same, rolling his shoulders as he shook himself a little bit.<p>

"I always feel so cold after leaving a mission against The Prince and Ice Queen. I never even get near the ice!" Kristoff grumbled, voice still a little thick from sleep.

Anna shook her head. "You're such a dork. Oh, but hey, I got a question, just something I thought about when we were taking off."

"Yeah?"

"How old do you think The Prince and Ice Queen are?" She furrowed her brows, tucking an errant lock of hair behind her ear out of habit- it was just going to get messed up when she got out of the helicopter anyway. "I mean, they don't look that old, but they always tease us about being kids. They can't be _that_ much older than us, right?"

"I don't see why it matters but if you're asking me to guess, they probably aren't over twenty-five. I mean, tops, they're twenty-five, complete end of the bell curve." He scratched his chin. "You ever talked to Ariel? You know, the ginger choir girl?"

Anna made a face. "I kinda try to avoid her. She's a bit..."

"Weird? Yeah, I know, but I have heard her talk about her older sisters. Every time one of them comes back from graduating college, they always act like she's a little kid who doesn't understand things. So, yeah, maybe they're right around there, twenty-two to twenty-three."

"Kris, how many college graduates do you know who try to conquer the world?"

"Given my theory, I'm going to say twice as many as those I know who have crazy ice magic powers."

Anna giggled. "Alright, I'll give you that. It just, I dunno, makes me wonder."

The crewmen motioned towards them and the two reluctantly got up and started attaching their harnesses, though Kristoff continued the conversation like it was nothing. "About what?"

"What causes two twenty-somethings to try and take over the world. I mean, I get having high expectations and stuff, but don't you think that's pushing it?"

Kristoff rolled his eyes. "Look, Anna, it's weird enough we find time between school, clubs, and homework to jet around the world and save the day and stuff. Do we really have to add psychoanalyzing our enemies to the list? 'Cause, seriously, my plate's full at this point."

"I'm just saying, if we knew why they were doing it, maybe we could help them find more constructive uses of their time. Set them on the right path, ya know?" The redhead stepped up to the side door, hooking the carabiner into her harness.

"Fiesty Pants, I know you wanna save the world one poor, unfortunate soul at a time but... some people are just evil." Kristoff yelled above the added noise of the blades whirring and shrugged. "They can't be saved."

Anna lowered herself into a squat, checking to be sure she was at least in the right neighborhood before giving her best friend her brightest smile. "Good thing I refuse to believe that. I'll see you at school, Kris!"

With that, she pushed off, controlling her descent as she repelled from the helicopter. The first time taught her that just because she _could_ catch the slack before she hit the ground, didn't mean she should. Once she was on the ground, she removed herself from the harness and gave it three sharp tugs, waving her arms to signal herself clear. As they reeled in the rope, she turned and set off for her house, intent on finishing up her homework and maybe watching some TV with her parents before retiring to bed. Sure, the nap on the ride home helped, but she would need a nice, long, hot shower to loosen up her sore muscles, and that would cut into her sleep if she didn't manage her time carefully.

Luckily, she was pretty darn good at time management by this point.

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><p>Author's Note: Okay, so, credit where credit is due. A huge thanks to tumblr user lauraknatt for inspiring this with her awesome art and giving me permission to post it. Also a huge thanks to Eoraptor, Alexslayer, The Supreme One, and only-looking for being supportive of my insanity. I got drug into this 'ship assbackwards, kicking and screaming, but it seems I'm here to stay. Damnit. Anyway, thanks for reading, review if you like, and yeah, I'll probably continue this. I have the chance to rework the Kim Possible universe; hell yes I'm going to have fun with this.<p> 


	2. Poor Planning

**Disclaimer:** Still don't own shit. Will probably never own shit. Also, this should be a pretty good indication of the ridiculousness that is normal for this universe. Because there are very few universes that can rival the ridiculousness of the canon KP-verse. Buckle up and enjoy the ride.

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><p>Anna shouldered the door open, a smile on her face as she entered Arendelle High. It was a pretty small school for a pretty small town in rural Colorado but she loved it; high school was a blur of activity, a constant grind that brought with it new experiences and people and-<p>

"HEADS UP ANDERSEN!"

-and flying footballs, this time of year. Anna instantly reached for the ball, allowing her books and homework to fall to the ground as she pulled the ball into her chest and pretended to juke around the Senior who was obviously overshot. He wrapped her up in a friendly tackle, causing her to giggle as her feet left the ground.

"Nice interception, Anna!" Eric laughed, setting her down and accepting the football from her. "You sure you don't wanna try out for the team next year? We could use another set of hands."

"No thanks, Eric," she replied, kneeling down to scoop up her school work, the senior helping her as the school's beloved quarterback jogged over. "Softball is more my thing."

"Besides, she has her hands full as student body president, pep squad leader, rodeo princess, and event coordinator." Phillip laughed, bending down to scoop up a textbook. "Sorry about that, Anna; guess I'm just pumped for the big game tomorrow."

"Hey, no big," Anna replied, accepting her papers and books from the two boys with a laugh. "You know me; ready for anything you can throw at me!"

"That's the Mountain Dog spirit!" Phillip and Eric punched her shoulder lightly. "Hope you can make it to the game!"

"Barring any world threatening emergencies, of course. Keep up the good work, Supergirl!" Eric winked, turning around as the two rejoined the rest of the footballers joking around in the hallway.

Anna rolled her eyes and continued to her locker, greeting people as she walked. Her affinity for running around the world was a pretty well-known fact around school- around town even- but it still made her shake her head when someone brought it up like it was something special.

It was just helping out; that was her thing.

"Oh, look who decided to show up today!" Anna nearly cringed at the chipper yet heavily edged voice that rang out over the din of shuffling students and slamming lockers.

She didn't have anything personal against Aurora, really, but some high school traditions refused to die. The rivalry between the cheerleaders and softballers was the stuff of legends in Arendelle, beaten out only by the one between the football captain and the rodeo king. Again, Phillip and Kristoff didn't really have any personal grudges against each other- they actually got along pretty well when no one was looking- but that was part of small town life. Some things, you just don't mess with, so she put on her best grin and turned, tilting her head to the side as she regarded the blonde.

"Briar."

"Andersen," Aurora replied, crossing her arms over her chest. "Missed another pep practice, I hear. Awful shame they couldn't get someone more dependable to lead the squad this year but, then again, I guess I'm more surprised than anything a lazy softballer even tried out for the position."

"Well, someone has to pick up the slack. Everyone knows the cheerleaders are a little on the... meh side when it comes to supporting the football team." Anna shrugged. "But don't worry; the softball team is more than willing to help out while you fiddle with your make up."

Aurora laughed, motioning towards her face. "I keep forgetting you softball girls don't have any standards when it comes to physical appearance. Guess it's optional though, seeing as you're dating the Reindeer King."

"Come on, Briar," Anna groaned, flipping her braids over her shoulders. "If anyone's slacking, it's you in your comebacks. Are we seriously playing the 'who's dating who' game already? That's usually a second Tuesday of the month thing."

"It doesn't matter anyway." A new voice cut in as Mulan- the softball team's catcher- siddled up to the two, an easy smile on her lips. "Everyone in the school knows Phillip likes Anna better anyway. He just doesn't want wittle Sleeping Beauty to wake up from her fairy tale dream quite yet."

"Oh, but don't ye worry." Suddenly Merida- star outfielder- was on Anna's other side, propping an elbow on Anna's shoulder and leaning on the redhead slightly. "I'm sure ye won't have any problems pickin' up someone new once he dumps ya and heads off fer college."

"He wouldn't _dare_ dump me!" Aurora spat, turning on heel and stalking away.

"Oh, that's right." Anna cupped her hands around her mouth and called out after the furious blonde. "It's true love!"

Mulan and Merida laughed, patting their captain on the back before walking with her the remainder of the way to her locker.

Anna deflated. "I really hate having to fight with her. I'm sure she's a nice person."

"Not ta us!" Merida groused, running a hand through her outrageous red, curly hair.

"We tried breaking the tradition last year with no luck," Mulan said, sighing as she shook her head, short black strands shaking free from their place behind her ears. "What's high school without a little pointless drama?"

"Easier," Anna replied, chuckling as she reached her destination. "Which reminds me, actually, how's the archery club coming? Any progress on getting Principal Mode to budge?"

Merida groaned. "I swear she keeps sayin' no jest ta make me mad! I already did all the research; there's a grant an' everythin' we need to turn the archery club into a _real_ sports program here in Arendelle but she won't admit there's enough interest!"

"Maybe you should consider approaching the situation differently." Mulan offered leaning back against the locker bank. "Principal Mode is really... involved in the uniform designs for all the school teams."

"It's archery, Mulan, not a bloody fashion show!" Merida threw her hands in the air.

"Then turn it into one," Anna said, setting her books inside her locker and closing it to regard the two. "Mulan's right about the Principal; if you go to her with a bunch of uniform ideas, she's going to be motivated to make a better one, and then she's going to _have_ to see it come to life."

"Then, she'll want to see people wearing the uniforms." Mulan grinned. "The only way for that to happen is for her to approve of an archery team."

"Oh!" Merida punched the air in victory. "That's a brilliant idea! Why didn't I think ah that?"

"You didn't have a passive aggressive master manipulator for a biology teacher." Anna offered offhandedly, sharing a knowing look with Mulan. Merida came to Arendelle at the tail end of their freshman year, missing out on the... rather interesting and slightly disturbing experience of having Miss Ursula Incirrina as for freshman biology. As a teacher, she was very in-depth on the subjects that appealed to her, like sea creatures.

And Sex Ed but everyone agreed to pretend that it never happened in the first place and just move on with their lives as best they could.

Anna glanced at her watch and frowned. "Geez, where does the time go? First class starts soon."

Merida groaned, mumbling something about stupid lessons before turning away while Mulan laughed. "See you at practice?"

"Hope so!" Anna laughed, pulling her handy device from her pocket. As Oaken's face filled the screen, she gave him a small wave. "Hey Mr. Oaken! Just checking to see if we have any hits."

"Nothing yet. I call you at lunch with update, ya?"

"Great. Thanks!" She put the device away and headed off to her class. It was a little weird not seeing Kristoff before the bell rang but, knowing her friend, he overslept and would dash through the door just in time. She wasn't too worried about it.

* * *

><p>Elsa was lightly dozing- having woken up at dawn as usual but remained in bed for lack of something better to preoccupy her time- when an explosion shook the palace to its foundations. Once upon a time, she would've thrown away her blanket, sprinted through the halls, taken the steps two at a time, and disintegrated anything in her way to ensure Hans was alright.<p>

At this point, though, it was more of an annoyance than a cause for concern. She was beginning to regret giving him permission to set up a make shift lab in the top most floor of the Place though.

"Hey, Elsa?" Olaf's voice pulled her into a sitting position, glancing curiously at the snowman before rubbing at her eyes. "I think Hans might need your help."

"When does he not?" She shook her head and yawned, brushing her bangs away from her face. Waving off his attempted reply, she continued with a slight smile on her lips. "Nevermind, where is he?"

"Out there." Olaf indicated the balcony.

Elsa groaned. "How bad is it?"

Olaf looked at her and smiled. "Marshmallow and I are going for a walk!"

Resisting a cry of exasperation, Elsa got up from her bed and stalked towards the balcony, throwing the doors open with unneeded vehemence. It was far too early in the day to deal with this insanity.

Seeing nothing but bits of ice on the balcony, Elsa picked her way across until she came to what remained of the railing. She didn't bother looking up; she'd deal with repairing the Palace once she finished chewing Hans out. Cautiously leaning over, she fought the urge to bury her face in her hands.

Far below, buried up to his waist, was Hans, legs kicking fruitlessly at the air.

"This is the man who wants to rule the world." Elsa sighed, flicking her wrist and creating an ice slide leading down to the crisp white snow below, shattered ice speckling the otherwise pristine field before the Palace. With another flick of her wrist, her pajamas reformed into her more typical 'off duty' ensemble- a looser version of her 'work' clothes with long sleeves and no gloves- and jumped onto the slide, riding the ice down to the snow below. "What am I going to do with you?"

"GET! ME! OUT!" Came the muffled reply from somewhere beneath the snow.

Elsa shook her head and moved forward, dodging one of Hans' legs before swatting it. "You try to kick me again and you're getting yourself out."

He instantly stilled, allowing Elsa to trap one leg between her arm and body while the other hand displaced the snow with her powers, allowing Hans to partially dig his way out. Once his head broke through, she released him and stepped back, pointedly not offering to wave away the snow clinging to his clothes and hair.

As he brushed himself off, he grumbled nonsense to himself. Well, to be fair, it probably wasn't nonsense to _him_ but the words meant absolutely nothing to Elsa; chemistry was never her strong suit.

"Can you run that by me again? In English this time?"

Hans glared at her as he smoothed out his lab coat. "I'll give you the short version: I was trying to recreate a device one of the labs in Colorado designed. They've only got one prototype and it's untested but I figured, since it won't be on the market in any capacity for a while, I could recreate it and do my own testing. The results were... dismal." He glanced towards the Palace and frowned. "I apologize for the damages, Elsa, really."

Sighing, the blonde waved it off, turning back towards her home. "I'd better fix it now as opposed to later. What is this thing designed to do, anyway?"

"Essentially, it's a weather control matrix, capable of manipulating basic elements to influence individual, measurable weather patterns." Hans explained as he stepped onto a circle of ice Elsa created to lift them both to the top of the Palace. It was easier than climbing the stairs. "Basically, it would allow the user to create or negate _any_ weather possibility. With a push of a button, I could spawn a tornado or entice a rain storm. Or-"

"A blizzard, correct?" Elsa raised a brow at the giddy scientist, shaking her head as she focused on the damage done before them. With a sigh, she stepped from the ice elevator into what remained of Hans' lab, dispelling their mode of transport and raising both hands to begin the repairs. "So, what, you threaten to ruin everyone's vacation in return for control of the world?"

"Hardly," Hans replied, walking over to a mostly destroyed table and pulling a partially charred world map from beneath it. "Threats can only do so much, Elsa. With the weather control matrix in my hands, I could call forth a never ending winter, a global blizzard." He spread the map across a recently recreated table and smiled. "I figure it would lessen the stress on you."

"On me?" She raised a brow, pausing in her motions to regard the redhead. "What do I have to do with this?"

"Well, with a world filled with snow, you could easily summon a force of snowmen- towering behemoths like Marshmallow- to march on the major capitals of the world." He frowned, studying the map and paying his friend little mind as her jaw dropped open in shock. "It wouldn't be a quick takeover in some cases. Russia, obviously, has a respectable military force trained to fight in such harsh conditions, not to mention Europe, America, and China to varying degrees, but the countries around the equator would fall swiftly at the radical change in climate, allowing us to focus our forces on the more heavily defended nations. We could use captured soldiers on the front lines or as bait. It's _perfect_ and so easy, I can't believe I haven't thought of it before!"

Elsa took a few steadying breaths. She didn't bother pointing out to him the possible long term damages a worldwide blizzard would cause or the amount of lives lost if such a thing were to happen or the extreme personal cost it would take for her to summon multiple armies of snowmen _or_ the outright indignation she felt on behalf of Marshmallow for being considered just another pawn in Hans' bid for world domination. Anything she said would fall on deaf ears anyway; ever since it became his obsession, trying to talk him out of it became an endlessly frustrating and fruitless endeavor. So focused on his task, he lost sight of everything else. It was one of his less flattering qualities.

That's why she invested in a back-up plan.

Channeling her seething fury into the repairs, she tossed over her shoulder as nonchalantly as she could. "Why don't you just hire someone to steal the stupid thing?"

"Steal it?" He echoed, mulling over the idea. He whipped around, arm spread wide. "That's an excellent idea! We'll steal the prototype and the plans, so they can't hope to build another to combat us!"

"Us? We? Whoa, hold on." Elsa turned from reforming the final wall. "I never agreed to help you _steal_ anything. I said I'd help you-"

"And stealing the weather control matrix _does_ help me!" He crossed his arms over his chest. "I don't see what the problem is."

She groaned, covering her face with one hand and hugging herself with the other, fighting the impulse to freeze him where he stood. "I don't know _how_ to steal anything, Hans. That's not a skill I have readily available. _For good reason_."

"Oh come on! You're the one always saying you're tired of being the 'good girl' so I don't-!"

"Okay, rebelling against my parents and stealing from a research facility are _nowhere near_ being in the same spheres of comparable events!" The blonde turned and quickly finished the wall, feeling her magic surging in response to her emotions and needing to release at least something before it decided to release on its own. "What's your plan, anyway? Just walk in, grab the doohickey-"

"Weather control matrix."

"I don't care what it's called, Hans!" Elsa whipped her hands above her head, sealing the gaping hole in the roof in a flash, grumbling under her breath: "Why can't I just talk to the reindeer? The reindeer would make a better conversational partner at this point!"

"Actually, I was thinking I could smooth talk my way in. I mean, who can resist my charms?" He threw her an oblivious smile. She nearly punched it right off him. "Then you could just wait in the hovercraft while I walk in, grab it, and walk out."

Elsa grit her teeth; for a man as smart as he was, he could be unreasonably thick headed sometimes. "And if that fails?"

"You freeze everything, we grab it, and leave." He shrugged. "It's not some top secret location or anything. It'll be fine. You'll help, right?"

She curled her hands into fists. "Where is this stupid lab?"

"Some place called Cheyenne Mountain," he replied nonchalantly, brows raising in confusion as his friend immediately turned on heel and stormed out of the room. Before the newly reformed doors to his lab slammed shut, he called out: "I'll take that as a yes!"

* * *

><p>Anna furrowed her brows, slowly chewing whatever the lunch lady had put on her plate- it <em>looked<em> like sloppy joes, which essentially made it mystery meat- before swallowing. "And you're sure the Air Force and the Army don't mind?"

Oaken shrugged with a large grin. "I explain to them the situation and originally they say is okay. But then I explain the people and they say help is always appreciated." He laughed. "You are professional vhen it comes to dealing vith Ice Queen, ya? They prefer safe to sorry."

"I guess so. When are they expected to hit? I have softball practice until six, and while Colorado Springs isn't exactly far, it's still a pretty good drive." The redhead sighed. "Just trying not to miss out on practice too much. We're so gonna make the playoffs this year."

"Ya, I already check; I can have ride standing by when practice ends. Very quick, get you there easy, ya?"

Anna nodded, stowing the device just as Kristoff sat down. His smile immediately disappeared. "Oh no, not again."

"What?"

"You have that look. That 'we have some far off place to visit and blow up' look." He wagged a finger in his face. "I know that look, Anna, don't lie to me."

The redhead giggled, shaking her head. "Okay, we _do_ have a mission, but it's in state and I promise it won't blow up!" He narrowed his eyes at her. "Oaken just got word that The Prince and Ice Queen are going to try breaking into the Cheyenne Mountain Complex."

"That old base where NORAD is?"

"Used to be; I guess it moved and was turned into a research facility a few years ago."

"And the Army can't handle this on their own?"

"It's actually an Air Force installation," Anna replied, taking another bite of her food and swallowing. "But, the Army is going to be providing back-up for the airmen already stationed there."

"And they still need us?" Kristoff ripped off his beanie to run a hand through his hair. "Why? Why can't someone else handle this?"

"Kristoff, it's not that bad!" Anna giggled, waving away his concern. "We'll probably get there in time to watch them arrest those two. It's just a formality."

"Yeah, right," he replied, pulling his beanie back on and setting it forward, almost to the point it obscured his eyes. "When are we leaving?"

"After softball practice. You're working with the rodeo team, right?"

"Yeah. Speaking of which, are you going to compete on Friday or Saturday? Today's the deadline for the rosters."

Anna paused, quickly running over her schedule in her head, eyes darting to and fro as she read some imaginary itinerary. "Saturday. Our game is early in the day and it's against Lowerton, so I doubt we'll go extra innings. Friday's the football game against them too."

"Oh, right. I have to track down Phillip at some point and start a fight over something stupid to wish him luck." The blond passed a hand over his face. "I still think this 'high school rivals' thing is stupid."

"Tell me about it. Aurora started it with me this morning. Oh, and we're apparently dating again, by the way." She snorted at his horrified look.

"I thought I had another week before she pulled that one again." He sighed. "She called me the Reindeer King, didn't she?"

"Yup."

He groaned, shifting his tray over to lay his head on the table. "That's it, I'll be homeschooled from now on. It's the only way I'll ever escape that ridiculous nickname." He quickly looked up. "Homeschooled at your house, of course."

"Of course." Anna shook her head. "Eat your food, Reindeer King. Might be a while before we're home for dinner."

Kristoff groaned into the wood of the table. Some days, he wondered why he _ever_ thought it was a good idea to bring Sven in for Show and Tell.

* * *

><p>Two soldiers and two airmen stood in front of the access gate to the Cheyenne Mountain Complex, their weapons hanging loosely from slings while they watched the road in front of them. Two of them- one of the airmen and one of the soldiers- were quietly standing guard while the other two- the higher ranking of the four- complained loudly.<p>

"It's just stupid. This place might be a relic from the Cold War but it's still perfectly functional! Turning it into a research facility was such a waste of resources." The technical sergeant complained, the Army sergeant shaking his head.

"Top brass doesn't like the idea of hiding in a basement. They want to be where everyone can see them and notice them and blah blah blah, same old crap, doesn't matter the branch." He looked over at the other soldier. "Ain't that right, Troop?"

"I will neither confirm or deny that particular assessment of my chain of command, Sar'nt." The soldier replied, rolling her eyes at the other airman, who seemed just as fed up with their superiors' complaining as she was.

"Always gotta be politically correct, huh?" The sergeant chuckled. "What I don't get, though, is why we had to come out here and help you guys secure this place. I mean, this is a lot of firepower to concentrate on such a hard target. And we're supposed to be getting some _civilian kids_ to come help us out? Really, guy?"

The tech sergeant shook his head. "Look, man, I don't know, I just-"

"Excuse me, gentlemen, and lady." All four heads snapped to the road, where a man- seemingly out of nowhere- stood, a slightly ridiculous looking cape framing him and billowing ever so gently in the wind. "Would you mind stepping aside? I believe I left something quite precious in the lab when I left earlier and I would like to recover it post haste."

Immediately, flood lights activated as humvees- previously shrouded in branches and tarps- were revealed, the heavy weapons in the turrets spinning to point at the newcomer while the four posted guards raised their firearms, a short burst of metal clicks resounding into the open air as several safeties were disengaged almost in unison.

"Sir, get on the ground, now." The sergeant bellowed out, several more soldiers and airmen running up from behind the humvees to kneel all around the vehicles. They formed an almost solid V formation, with The Prince standing just far enough away for them to fire without worrying about friendlies being in the killzone. "Get on the ground, now!"

"Ice Queen." The Prince sighed, raising one hand. Before the soldiers and airmen could react, he snapped, and in the next moment, the whole of the formation found themselves engulfed in ice and frozen in position, especially their legs and hands. They couldn't run, reach for their radios, or pull their triggers. From above- though they couldn't see exactly where, their necks being frozen and all- a woman descended, landing beside The Prince with hardly a sound. The blonde looked at her companion a moment before he spoke. "Okay, fine, you told me so. There. Can we please move on?"

She nodded, the two striding forward, over ice and through the posted guards to the access tunnel behind them. As the sound of their footfalls subsided, the lower ranking soldier managed to speak.

"Hey, S-s-sar'nts... I th-th-think I kno-o-ow why they s-s-s-sent so many p-p-p-people."

"Sh-sh-sh-shut up, Bartlett."

* * *

><p>Anna couldn't keep the smile from her face, pressed up against the window as she was. Kristoff, meanwhile, was beside her, trying to become one with the seat as he hung on for dear life.<p>

"I thought this kind of thing only happened in sci-fi shows!" He whined, sorely missing the comforting presence of Sven at that very moment. The reindeer was secured in the back of the vehicle, of course, but being in the cab, he couldn't quite reach his buddy. Which really, really sucked.

"Okay, for one, it's science fiction, don't diss the genre," Anna replied, pulling away from the window long enough to level a semi-serious glare at her best friend. "And two, we're in a _flying tank_ Kristoff. How is this not totally cool?"

"Actually," one of the airmen said, turning around from the front seat. "It's an airborne and land capable armored personnel transport. It's not really designed to act as an artillery unit." He laughed. "We actually designed it after the Mako from _Mass Effect_, but tweaked the design to allow for short range 'jumper' flights."

"That's so cool!" Anna squealed, looking out the window just in time to catch sight of the interstate beneath them coming up fast. "Brace for impact!"

Kristoff rattled off a short prayer as the vehicle came to a relatively light landing on the asphalt, the boosters on the undercarriage activating to cushion the landing. Through the limited windshield, the redhead could see the massive hill coming up.

"This should be our last jump, but we're going to land off the road." The pilot called out over his shoulder, flipping switches while his co-pilot, who was seated facing forward once more, assisted with yet more buttons and switches. "Hang on!"

As they hit the top of the hill, the boosters activated again, this time propelling the vehicle up and away from the interstate. The wings deployed shortly after, jolting the passengers as they started to rise in altitude. Anna was once again plastered to the window, watching the lights fall away below them while Kristoff continued sputtering prayers and digging into the seat.

"Kris, come on, this is so cool! You aren't scared of flying in helicopters!"

"They don't defy my understanding of the laws of physics like this monstrosity does!"

The pilot and co-pilot chuckled, adding more thrust as they sailed through the air, pushing everyone back in their seats slightly. Except Anna. She was far too enthralled to pay attention to the pull on her body.

"Destination ahead... huh." Anna pulled her attention to the windshield again, where the lights from the access tunnel could be seen reflected through something spread across the roadway. "What do you make of that?"

"The Prince and Ice Queen are already there." Anna surmised, squinting slightly. "They're probably still in the facility."

"What makes you think that?" Kristoff barely turned his head towards her, still firmly rooted in place.

"Just a hunch. And I'm pretty sure that's their hovercraft floating above the mountain."

"Brace for impact!" The co-pilot called, Anna returned to her seat as Kristoff's death grip on the seat worsened. This landing was much rougher than the others, the vehicle bouncing as it hit the ground, jostling everyone except Kristoff. They bounced a few more times before roaring up the side of a small hill, coming out on the road leading to the access tunnel and making a harsh left to stay on the road. Anna was already unbuckling her safety harness as the vehicle rolled to a stop in front of the frozen array of soldiers and airmen.

As the redhead jumped out, she ran around to the other side of the vehicle, asking the co-pilot- who was understandably distracted by the sight of his buddies frozen in place- to get Sven while she tended to Kristoff.

"Are you sure it's safe?" the blond asked, eyes darting to Anna. "We've come to a complete stop?"

"I'm not moving, am I?" she replied with a grin. "Come on, we'll ask for a regular transport back home, but right now, we've got a pair of thieves to stop!"

"How can you be this... peppy?" He groused, fumbling with his harness until Anna reached over and released it for him, helping the boy get out of the vehicle. He was shaking like a leaf but, with his feet back on firm ground, his anxiety was starting to subside. "Oh sweet, merciful, firm earth, how I love you."

"A touch over dramatic today, aren't we?"

"Anna, I swear, one of these days, you're going to get us both killed!"

"Eh, I'm sure it's a ways off." The redhead joked, pulling her friend with her as she approached the back of the vehicle. Much to her surprise, Sven appeared to be taking the whole adventure much better than his master, tongue lolling out slightly as the co-pilot released countless straps that had prevented the reindeer from being injured during the bumpy ride. Or maybe he was just excited to see them; she really couldn't tell.

As soon as he was free, Sven bounded out of the vehicle, turning his head to snort at it before nuzzling Kristoff. "Yeah, I'm okay buddy."

"Great! Now, let's get going; the sooner this is over with, the sooner we can get back home and finish up that algebra homework."

Both human and reindeer raised a brow. "Where do you get your energy? Are you sure you're not an alien?"

"Yep, I'm just very task oriented and we have a schedule to keep," Anna replied, motioning for Kristoff to mount Sven so they could continue. "Now come on, chop chop, we've got work to do!"

"I swear you're not human." He grumbled, giving Anna a hand up.

"Oh, and thanks for the ride guys!"

"No problem! We'll take care of these guys, y'all go put a stop to those thieves!" The pilot waved, turning back to one of the frozen airmen as the three set off, the reindeer squeezing between two of the frozen soldiers as they tore off into the facility.

* * *

><p>Elsa lightly bit her knuckle, using every ounce of willpower to keep from openly laughing at her friend. He was tearing through the fourth room they'd come to, the fourth in a very long line of separate work spaces, each housing something completely different and useless to Hans' plan. It didn't help that the redhead had no clue what the weather doohickey even looked like, something she was glad she hadn't pointed out before. Watching him root through assorted papers on every flat surface in the room was far too entertaining.<p>

"Why don't people ever label things clearly!" Hans growled, tossing another stack of papers aside as he moved on to the next desk. He shuffled through more papers until he found the one he needed. "Success!"

Elsa rolled her eyes as he scurried back to the other side of the room and picked up what looked like a... miniature blimp from a long table showcasing a multitude of objects she couldn't name or categorize. "That's it?"

"It doesn't look like much..." Hans frowned, turning the object over in his hands. "It's marked as the corresponding model number but I don't see where one could activate it."

Crossing the room, Elsa picked up the discarded piece of paper Hans had left on the desk and skimmed over it. It did detail the progress made towards creating a weather something or other- technical, military words and acronyms, pass- but what caught her eye was when she turned the page over and observed the diagram on the back. Specifically, the measurements.

"Hey, genius." Elsa raised a hand to massage the bridge of her nose, holding the piece of paper out in Hans' direction. "Read the measurements."

Hans scowled at her, coming over and snatching the piece of paper away. When he lowered it, his eyes were drawn to the model in his hand. "Oh. It's a representation of the final product, not a functional prototype." He shrugged and tossed the now useless piece of junk over his shoulder and gathered up the rest of the papers regarding the project. "At least the trip won't be in vain. Now, let's get out of here before-"

"Too late." Elsa groaned, hearing the faint noise of hooves on tile growing steadily louder. She turned towards the gaping hole that was once a door, summoning a blast of ice and settling into a fighting stance while Hans stepped back and to the side, assuming his most regal pose with one hand- firmly clutching the papers- behind his back. Finally, the reindeer slid into view, taking a hard right in order to charge into the room.

Anna was already sliding off, eyes locking onto her opponents as she entered the room. Kristoff, on the other hand, didn't have the presence of mind to dismount Sven before going through the door. As a result, his forehead collided with the low clearance of hole, sending him toppling backwards and to the ground with a solid thud.

"Oh my gosh, Kris, are you okay?" Anna glanced worriedly at her friend, who was already scrambling to his feet.

He shook himself once before settling into a fighting stance of his own, pulling his trusty ice pick from its place on Sven's saddle. "Yeah, hard head, you know the drill."

The Prince sighed. "If we promise we won't do it again, will you let us go?"

"Not a chance!" Kristoff said, Sven emphatically nodding his head along with his master.

The Princess shrugged. "Very well then. Ice Queen, get the girl."

"With pleasure." Pushing her hand forward, ice shot out in a straight line, causing Anna and Kristoff to jump apart. Ice Queen jumped on top of a desk, ready to fire another blast of ice. She dissipated the blast as she scanned the room in search of her target. The redhead rolled but the blonde was more concerned with jumping onto the desk than where she landed. Logic dictated she was hiding under one of the desks. But which one?

Determining she could get a better idea of where her target went from the other side of the room, she jumped across the desk, marginally surprised when the second to last one lifted up underneath her. She jumped to the floor in time to bring an arm up to block a haymaker, using Anna's momentum against her to turn and push her away.

Anna stumbled slightly but quickly caught her balance, settling into her stance against as the two faced off in the narrow space between desks. "Long time, no see, huh, Ice Queen?"

"Not long enough, in my opinion." The blonde coldly replied, beckoning the redhead closer. "I'm a fair person; I'll go easier on you today than usual."

Anna grinned, allowing the implied insult to slide right off her, and charged forward. She threw the first punch as soon as she was able, expecting to miss, and used her other arm to block the answering shot from Ice Queen.

On the other side of the ice divide, The Prince, Kristoff, and Sven were squaring off... sort of. The desks and tables prevented Sven from getting close and The Prince had picked up a long, solid looking length of metal, a smirk on his lips as he clutched his prize in his off hand.

"Do you really want to do this, boy?"

"No, not really, but I don't have much of a choice right now, do I?" Kristoff eyed the impromptu weapon warily before raising his pick. "You're not going to stop unless we make you."

The Prince laughed. "You act like there's a chance of that happening."

Rolling his eyes, Kristoff gestured between them. "This isn't our first rodeo, man. We've kinda spent the past year or so kicking your butt."

"Setbacks and nothing more, kiddo." The Prince smirked. "You haven't actually _caught_ me yet and, thus, you have not and _will_ not stop me. The world will bend to my will soon enough."

"Okay, crazy time over, pain time now!" Kristoff surged forward, putting all his weight into trying to knock the length of metal from The Prince's hand. To his great surprise, The Prince not only had a strong grip, but also could apparently use his makeshift weapon with amazing dexterity, turning Kristoff's charge into a knot on his head as he stumbled backwards. "Ow!" He rubbed his head; at this rate, he was going to have a concussion! "Aw, man. Can we go back to the whole blowing up your base thing? I think I prefer that now."

"En garde!" The Prince bellowed, lunging towards Kristoff. He barely had the time- or the coordination- to block the slashes and dodge the stabs. He mentally made a note to learn some sort of sword fighting the next time he decided to go mano-a-mano with The Prince.

No one said stopping a megalomaniac would be easy, though.

* * *

><p>Anna was fairing notably better on her side, though she didn't feel as though she was winning by any stretch of the imagination. Without having to constantly adjust for shoddy footing, she was actually able to go toe-to-toe with Ice Queen. Kinda. She could tell the blonde was holding back, using strictly punches, kicks, and her tosses and throws to fight the redhead. No ice beams, no snow flurries, none of the magical powers Anna had come to expect during their duels.<p>

It was a little refreshing and kinda disheartening too; Anna had some serious work to do on her fighting skills if she was going to ever actually beat the super powered woman.

After spinning into a roundhouse kick that sailed harmlessly over the blonde's head, Anna followed with an off balance front kick using the same leg. Bad idea. Without any real strength behind it, Ice Queen caught her foot and pushed. Without her balance, Anna fell, landing on her back as her head briefly hit the ground. Groaning from the shock more than the pain, her hands immediately raised to cradle her head.

They never made it. She felt hands close around her wrists and force her arms above her head, eyes snapping open just in time to catch sight of Ice Queen leaning over her. She'd never noticed before but, very lightly dotted along the pale skin of the woman's shoulders and cheeks, were barely there freckles. Huh.

Anna's thoughts were immediately scrambled as she felt ice encase both her wrists, sending a shiver through her. Ice Queen leaned back and passed a hand over Anna's waist, forming another restraint made of ice that further immobilized the redhead. Only then did their eyes meet, frosty blue to aquamarine.

"You know, you're pretty easy." Ice Queen said, crossing her arms over her chest.

Anna sighed. "As an opponent?"

"On the eyes." The blonde clarified with a smirk- the first real expression other than concentration, boredom, or impassivity Anna had ever witnessed on Ice Queen's face- and raised her hand in a slight wave. "Until next time, Snowflake."

With that, Ice Queen planted her palms on both sides of Anna's head and vaulted into a somersault, gaining her feet in one fluid motion and dispelling the ice wall she'd created. She did so just in time to send a bolt of ice at Kristoff, freezing his raised hand and pick to the wall.

Kristoff immediately whipped his head to the other side of the room, panic coloring his voice. "Anna!"

"Kristoff! I'm okay!"

The Prince turned, curiosity written across his face. By this point, Ice Queen was no longer smirking, instead striding towards him with purpose.

"We have to go. Now."

"But-" The Prince began before the tromping of boots down the hallway caught his attention. Momentarily distracted as he was, his grip on the papers loosened just enough for Kristoff to reach out and snatch them away, although a few tore off in the swipe. Before he could reach to take them back, Ice Queen had a firm hold on his other arm and the doorway was rapidly filling with uniformed men holding rifles leveled at their chests.

"Don't move or-"

Her right glove disappeared as Elsa waved her arm, summoning a winter storm in the middle of the room. Icy winds tore straight to the bone, causing everyone present to shiver as a few men yelled out, the ice swirling around them too dense to make out who was screaming at who about what, especially with Sven braying in confusion.

When the air cleared, The Prince and Ice Queen were gone, and everyone was covered in a sheet of snow and frost.

"What the- where'd they go?"

"The elevator! They're heading for the surface!"

"Too late! It's already going up!"

Anna sighed, trying to work herself free from her restraints before, in a bizarre flash, all traces of ice, snow, and frost disappeared from the room. Only the cold that had sunk deep into her muscles remained and the redhead instantly sat up to wrap her arms around herself and shiver. Kristoff was by her side a moment later, trying to hide his own shivering.

"You okay?"

"Yeah, j-just a little chilly." Anna laughed, accepting his help up as a few soldiers lumbered their way.

"You kids okay?" At their nod, he chuckled. "Good work stalling them. Do you know if they got whatever they were after?"

"Only thing I saw them with was this," Kristoff said, waving the papers still clutched in his left hand and handing them over. "So I don't think so."

"It doesn't matter," one of the other soldiers said with a chuckle. "There's no way they're getting out. Jackson already radioed up, so the elevator's covered; they're about to walk into a fatal funnel."

Anna and Kristoff exchanged worried looks. "They're not going to kill them, right?"

"Yeah, I mean, they might be jerks, but they're pretty harmless." Kristoff gestured to the room. "I mean, Ice Queen probably could've killed all of us right then."

"If they're smart, they'll surrender," the first soldier replied, a certain grimness in his tone.

* * *

><p>The Prince punched the elevator wall. "We were so close!"<p>

"Now's not the time," Ice Queen replied, hugging the opposite wall and listening intently for the elevator to slow its ascent.

"They aren't going to catch up to us. These things don't have varying speeds."

She turned her head to regard him. "I can feel my ice when it's weakened by outside forces. The men I froze when we arrived were released." Ice Queen readied another massive blast of wintery fury as the elevator slowed to a stop. "It stands to reason their friends came to help them and there's more waiting for us at the top."

"I don't think-" The Prince glanced through the doors as they dinged open and instantly pressed himself against his wall. "Fine, you told me so again, now, please, _do something before they shoot us_!"

* * *

><p>One of the soldiers in the hall quietly cursed, lowering what looked like an old toy phone from his ear. "They got away."<p>

As cries of surprise echoed around them, Kristoff and Anna breathed a sigh of relief. While the two _did_ want The Prince and Ice Queen brought to justice and stopped from their continued attempts to take over the world, they weren't exactly keen on the idea of them being killed. Especially not because the two teens were able to stall them long enough for deadly force to arrive.

"Well, we appreciate your help nonetheless." The soldier motioned towards the elevator. "Do you two have a ride back home?"

Anna smiled. "I'm sure I can ask for someone to come pick us up. It's not easy fitting a reindeer into most vehicles, so-."

The soldier shook his head. "Nah, that won't do. We'll have someone drop you off in one of our LMTVs. Big enough to house your critter. You'll have to sit in the back with him, though."

"Does this LMTV you speak of leave the ground at any point?" Kristoff narrowed his eyes at the soldier, the suspicion disappearing at the slightly confused shake of his head. "We'll take it."

Anna laughed. "Awesome! Then, we can get started on that algebra homework!"

Kristoff groaned, planting his face in his hand.

* * *

><p>The flight back to the Palace was quiet until Hans decided to break it.<p>

"So, just to be clear, you're mad at me for not planning this out very well, running us into a dead end, totally missing what we were actually supposed to be looking for, and... not listening to you, right?"

Elsa shot him her coldest glare to date before focusing on their flight path once more. "That's about the long and short of it."

"If I say I'm sorry-"

"Hans, don't you get it?" She snapped, instantly cutting him off. "Those guys had _guns_, we could've been _shot_ and _killed_ all because of your poor planning!" The blonde sighed, rolling her neck and wincing at the pain still lancing from her right hip. She hadn't let it show at the time but Anna had landed a vicious kick that promised to leave a nice bruise tomorrow, along with a few others dotting her back and thighs. Despite her light skin, bruises tended to take a while to show, either because of her powers or some medical reason she didn't bother learning about. "You don't have any patience, any concept of the natural progression of things, and it nearly got us killed or caught, neither one would've been good!"

"Jail isn't that-"

"No, Hans, _you_ would've gotten jail time. Me?" For the first time in his recollection, he could see the fear plain on her face. "I have powers over ice and snow, Hans. Powers no one else has. You really think they'd let me sit in a cell? After breaking into an _underground government research lab_?"

His eyes widened, mouth working a moment silently before he hung his head.

Elsa took a few deep breaths to pull her emotions back into her control, noting the light layer of frost covering the controls of the hovercraft.

After a few more minutes of silence, Hans spoke. "I am sorry, Elsa, and you're right. I just... I want this to work so bad."

"Then take the time to come up with something _feasible_ or switch your aim altogether. But Hans, I swear, if you ever put us in that position again-"

"I won't. I promise." He tentatively put a hand on her shoulder. "You're the only friend I have anymore, Elsa. I really am sorry."

The blonde nodded, waiting a few minutes before changing the subject. "So... how'd the fight with reindeer boy go?"

"Well, it wasn't a slap fight, which keeps my dignity intact, and he's actually not half bad with that pick ax of his." Hans chuckled. "Very strong, but he lacks finesse and dexterity. Plus, pick axes aren't designed for sword fighting." He sighed. "I'm just glad the _reindeer_ couldn't get the drop on me. Otherwise, I probably would've been in trouble." They sat in silence for a few minutes. "What about the girl?"

"She's getting scary good and scary determined," Elsa replied, a fond smile touching her lips. "You remember that first plot, when they just showed up and we didn't know what to do?"

Hans laughed, covering his mouth slightly. "Uh, yeah, I remember that, unfortunately. I got thrown into a river by a reindeer; it's a little hard to forget."

"Yeah, well, I tried doing that again, not using my powers and just fighting her." She shook her head. "I don't think I've had a workout like that in a while."

Hans frowned momentarily. "Well, while I'm glad you're getting something out of it, I'm a little concerned. You don't think she'll ever beat you, do you?"

Glancing to her side, Elsa pondered the question a moment before shaking her head. "I don't think it'll ever come to that. She's determined but she... doesn't have my vicious streak."

The remainder of the flight was in silence, Elsa concentrating on flying while Hans debated broaching the topic before opting to let it go for the time being. Some wounds took longer to heal.

* * *

><p>Kristoff poked her shoulder, eliciting a startled yelp from the redhead. "Sorry, didn't mean to scare you."<p>

"You didn't; I was just surprised." Anna smiled. "What's up?"

"You've been super quiet and wide awake. Those usually don't happen simultaneously." Kristoff shrugged off the playful punch to his shoulder and laughed. "I'm just asking, is there anything on your mind? Anything you'd like to share with the group?"

Sven turned his head, sniffing loudly at Anna as though looking for the truth. With a giggle, she patted his nose and sighed. "You... remember yesterday how you were teasing me about crushing on Ice Queen?"

"I believe my words were 'raging lady boner' but continue," Kristoff said before realizing what he said and turning a suspicious eye on on his friend. "Don't tell me."

Anna crossed her arms and sank back into the uncomfortable metal seat a little.

The blond sighed, turning to face and holding up one hand. "On this hand, I am going to represent me, as your best friend since pre-k, who is totally excited that you have a new crush who is a very beautiful woman with a great body and really pretty eyes and so on and so forth." He raised the other hand, closing it until it made a fist. "On this hand, I am going to represent me, as the guy who just got one of his hands nearly frozen off, who has been with you on every mission where you've had to duck and dive and bend in all sorts of crazy ways to dodge potentially lethal blasts of ice energy and punches and kicks and so on and so forth." He shook his hands slightly. "Right now? This is my reaction." With that, he collided his fist into his open palm, resulting in a loud smacking noise Anna clearly heard over the wind and traffic surrounding them. He blinked at her a moment. "Do I make myself clear?"

"You want me to ask you this when you aren't shivering in the back of an Army truck that's barreling down the highway?"

"Yes, that, but also the other thing."

"To wait until you're fully awake and not directly before, after, or at any point during any mission no matter who we're going to stop."

"Exactly." He nodded, settling back into his seat. A minute passed before he held up his hand, silencing Anna just as she was about to speak. "And, no, I still don't have a man crush on The Prince."

Anna laughed, leaning against his shoulder. "Whatever you say."

* * *

><p>Author's Note: There ya go. Ridiculousness: I am fond of it. Also, a few things I feel I should mention, it's been... a while since I was in high school. So... bear with me, because at this point, I'm wondering why I ever graduated. The "real world" sucks. Just sayin'. Oh, and, well, given my occupation (and my crappy track record), I high advise against expecting an update every week. Granted, I have managed to get a fair bit written but- as is often the case- getting to my computeronline in a timely manner proves difficult on occasion. And by "fair bit" I mean "I totally meant to make this a short and sweet fic and now it's taking over my life how do I keep doing this to myself" of course. That being said, I'll try my best, guys, I really will. Thanks to all of you who have read, reviewed, favorited, and/or are following this story. I hope you enjoy reading as much as I enjoy writing it. See you next time!


	3. Mountain Dog Spirit

**Disclaimer:** Nope, still don't own anything. Legit, not a thing. Just writing for fun. But, for real, thanks to lauraknatt for the inspiration, and only-looking for exceptional support.

* * *

><p>Kristoff grumbled to himself as Sven jumped over a fallen tree, ducking his head to avoid various branches as the two raced towards the school. He overslept <em>again<em> and his mother decided to wake him up by pouring cold water over his head. Yeah, he was a heavy sleeper, but he'd _just_ started warming up after last night's encounter with The Prince and Ice Queen; she _really_ could've picked a nicer way of informing him he was going to be late for school.

"Whoa!" he flung himself to the side, barely keeping his seat to dodge another branch just before Sven jumped over a barbed wire fence. He barely kept his grip, hauling himself back into the makeshift saddle in time to breathe a sigh of relief. The blond could see the building in the distance and a quick glance at his watch confirmed he still had a good fifteen minutes to make it to class. "Come on, boy, we're almost there!"

Sven threw his head and poured on the speed, dashing across the mostly empty street and along the sidewalk. They nearly crashed into the sub shop owner, Kristoff calling out a hasty apology as Sven continued, cutting across another street and slowing slightly as they neared the entrance of the school. Kristoff braced himself as Sven kicked his back legs up, launching his rider into the air. Kristoff started chruning his legs, somewhat flailing through the air before coming into jarring contact with the concrete. As he recovered from the stumble and continued towards the doors, calling over his shoulder: "Thanks, Sven! See you after school!"

He ignored the answering bray as he threw the main door open, sprinted through the hall, took the corners almost too fast to keep his feet under him, and burst through the door to his first class. He was sweating and dying to catch his breath, but he made it!

A chorus of groans greeted him as Anna pumped her fist in the air. "Sweet! Everyone, pay up!"

Kristoff rolled his eyes as various classmates pulled out their wallets, slinging his backpack off his shoulders and under the desk next to Anna's. "Why does everyone assume I'm going to be late? I've never been late to class!"

"It's bound to happen eventually." Adam grumbled, running a hand through his shoulder length brown hair. He shook his mane out and snorted. "Anna just keeps getting lucky."

"They're right, you know." Anna laughed, plopping into her seat and stuffing the collection of bills into her pocket. "I mean, even _I_ have been late before."

"On the day the teacher was also late." Kristoff pointed out. "So, it's not like it would've counted against you if you hadn't mentioned it."

"Anna's too honest to lie about that, though," Phillip said, leaning forward in his chair. "Supergirl's got a reputation to keep up."

"And to what do we owe your glorious presence, oh pompous one?" The blond frowned at the football captain, who shrugged.

"I have a free period and I never took this class. Why not get a little extra learning while I can?" Phillip smiled. "What's the matter, Your Majesty, have I impeded upon your sacred kingdom? I didn't notice any horse manure when I entered."

"I hardly think someone who grunts like a pig and only knows how to shout out numbers and colors needs to take a Speech class." Kristoff shot back, surprise registering on his face. "Unless you finally decided to make something out of yourself. In which case, congratulations, you've finally caught up to the Freshmen. You should be proud."

"Oh, ha ha," Phillip replied, rolling his eyes. "Like you're set for anything other than mucking out stalls and brushing your reindeers."

"The plural of reindeer _is_ reindeer, Meathead."

"And the synonym of 'useless' is Kristoff."

The blond groaned. "Debating English with a footballer is like mucking a stall- only one thing is going to come out of it."

"Class! Good morning!" Mr. Kronker Papikrankenitz entered the room, adjusting his tie briefly before stepping behind his desk. He was a towering figure but his easy smile- and occasional obliviousness- made him one of the better liked teachers at Arendelle high. "Sorry I wasn't here sooner- faculty meeting, you know how it goes. Looks like we have everyone here..." his eyes landed on Phillip "... plus one... and we've got a short day due to the pep rally, so! Let's get started."

The bell rang out and everyone quieted down, giving Mr. Papikrankenitz their full attention. Kristoff leaned over, whispering to Anna while keeping his eyes on the teacher writing on the board at the front of the class.

"Thanks, I totally forgot about the Phillip thing."

"No big, Kris, I got your back," Anna replied equally quietly, grinning as she sat up in her street.

This class was one of her favorites, as well as one of her personal weaknesses; arguing with Aurora or bantering with Kristoff was easy but when she had to talk to someone _new_ or _different_ or... _really unnervingly attractive_, trying to speak without making an idiot out of herself was incredibly hard. She tended to babble like a silly schoolgirl which, while understandable, was _really_ annoying and more than moderately embarrassing.

Oddly enough, that was Kristoff's original reason for going with her on her missions. She wasn't shy or anything- far from it- but her tendency to allow her mouth to run away from her coupled with a non-existent filter led to some... awkward situations. His initial pitch to join her included the words 'I'm not going to watch the news one day and find out you said something deemed culturally insensitive to some guy in some country I can't pronounce and are rotting in some jail cell for a few decades' and reminders of the times her mouth _had_ gotten her into a bit of trouble to rebut her assertions to the contrary.

It worked out pretty well, in her opinion; she really didn't address the people they helped, unless directly questioned, and Kristoff got a crash course in dealing with people outside of Arendelle. He also dealt with whoever they were fighting or catching or stopping- depending on the situation- which Anna couldn't help but thank her lucky stars for, given her initial reaction to meeting The Prince and Ice Queen.

The first time the trio had swooped in to save the day- all thanks to a really vague request delivered to Mr. Oaken, which she still wasn't sure how he received or from who- was awkward all around. The Prince apparently had not thought his plan all the way through and was surprised someone actually tried to stop him, Ice Queen regarded them with a very cold, very bored expression, and Kristoff and Anna were convinced they were in _way_ over their heads.

But, against all odds, they managed. Things picked up after that, their trips turning into missions, though the aim to help people always remained the same.

Once it was over, Anna could articulate that, for two people trying to take over the world, both The Prince and Ice Queen were _devastatingly_ attractive. Like, mind boggling attractive, and Kristoff agreed once she worked up the nerve to talk to him about it.

The Prince was all dashing charm, crisp attire, great hair, and so smooth in his actions, the way he carried himself, and the way he spoke. Confident. Ice Queen was fluid grace, unshakable resolve, piercing eyes that vividly stood out against her calm, collected, cool expression, regal and cold. Intimidating.

Anna eventually convinced herself the two were romantic partners of some sort. Sure, she teased Kristoff about having a man crush on The Prince, just as he teased her about Ice Queen, but it wasn't something that _could_ happen, so it was okay to joke about it.

Out of the corner of her eye, the redhead could see Kristoff writing something down on his notebook. Mr. Papikrankenitz was talking about the importance of posture and eye contact when addressing a large group but Anna was tuning him out to focus on her slightly more relevant personal crisis.

Because now... well, maybe it _was_ a possibility. Ice Queen rarely addressed her directly and vice versa; they let their fighting do the talking. Something had changed though... she just wasn't sure _what_.

Or if it even meant anything.

Kristoff was better at this sort of thing. His parents were self proclaimed love experts, after all, surely he would either have some sage advice or know just how to bring her back down to earth without bruising her ego too much. It just wasn't the time. Today was the football game- which she had to attend with pep squad- and she had her softball game tomorrow. The earliest they could have a serious heart-to-heart would be after her run at the rodeo, provided they didn't get another mission in the meantime.

Crap. That reminded her. "Hey, Kris. What events am I competing in again?"

The blond rolled his eyes. "Barrel racing, cutting, and roping."

"Right." Okay, she definitely needed to be careful about managing her time between the softball game and the rodeo. Saturday promised to be long and exhausting but, if she ate right and caught a quick power nap between the two, she'd be fine.

As Mr. P continued his lecture, Anna found her mind wandering back to the night before. She should've been paying attention but they'd already covered the material earlier; today was just a recap in preparation for their presentations next week. Thank goodness for game days. Shorter classes meant her sometimes barely-there attention span wasn't such a hassle to wrangle under control. She could even doodle, pretend she was paying attention, and no one would call her out on it!

Anna looked down at her notebook, pencil poised above the paper, when a sudden thought occurred to her: talking to Kristoff about the whole... thing was silly. Regardless of how she felt about Ice Queen's... curious behavior, or how drop dead gorgeous the woman was, or, well, any of that, there were a few really big things she had to consider.

One being that this woman was constantly trying to take over the world. Another being that this woman probably had a name other than _Ice Queen_ and Anna had no clue what it might be. Those were pretty big indicators that whatever attraction she felt for the stunning blonde was probably unreasonable. And silly. And childish.

Which was another thing- Ice Queen saw her as a kid and she had no clue what the age difference might be, so... yeah. She was being silly.

Anna sighed and sat back in her chair. Then again, so what? While she might not be as... vocal about it as some of her classmates, she still believed in love at first sight and true love and all those silly, childish, fairytale stories regarding the subject. Her parents were high school sweethearts for crying out loud! So it wasn't _completely_ impossible, finding real, true, enduring love at her age...

Except, in this particular case, it probably was.

Anna lowered her head to rest against the cool notebook paper and groaned. Maybe if she didn't bring it up, Kristoff wouldn't either.

"Uh..." Mr. Papikrankenitz raised a brow, looking to Kristoff while motioning towards Anna. "Is she-"

"Crazy mission last night, got back late, you know the deal." Kristoff lightly jabbed the redhead's arm, bringing her back to reality. "Right, Anna?"

"Uh, yeah, sorry Mr. P."

"Riiiiight." The teacher drawled with a shrug. "Anyway, as I was saying..."

* * *

><p>Hans crossed his arms over his chest, leaning back in his chair. He was back in his lab, trying to brainstorm something <em>really<em> good and _really_ involved this time. Involved in the sense of technology and science rather than Elsa's powers; after returning to the Palace, Elsa promptly locked herself in her rooms, sending Olaf or Marshmallow to retrieve anything she needed. She was obviously still angry with him and it would take a while before she completely forgave him- which he completely understood! Really!

It just made the pressure to come up with a really good plan all the heavier.

Sighing, he tilted his head back, propping his feet up on a spare chair and staring, unfocused, at the ceiling above. He started tapping out an unspecified rhythm on his arm with one finger, running through every plot and ploy and every failure.

Elsa said he either needed something feasible or to switch his aim. She couldn't have meant give up on dominating the world; it meant for too much to him to be discarded due to a few failures and one slightly horrible situation.

Maybe he needed to look at things from a different angle. As a scientist, there was a method for dealing with things such as this. First, identify the problem: his plans never reached fruition. Next, identify the cause. Where did all his plans go wrong?

Well that was easy: whenever those kids showed up, everything went straight down the toilet. It didn't matter at which stage of his plan they interfered; the moment those three- but one can't ignore the stupid reindeer- were in the picture, it was all doom and gloom for him and Elsa. Well, mostly for him.

Logically, it would follow that if he got rid of the kids and their pet, then he'd be golden. No one else even tried challenging him; there was literally just _one_ hurdle he had to overcome.

But it wouldn't be that easy. It _could_ be- because if there was one thing Hans excelled at above all else it was building highly dangerous and very effective explosives- but Elsa was pretty committed to her 'no killing' policy. He couldn't complain. She had her reasons and he couldn't afford to lose her support. It was a rather negligible concession on his part.

"Broken leg wouldn't kill anyone though," Hans said, his voice filling the otherwise pristine silence in his lab. "Broken arm... a short jaunt to the ICU, they'd be fine in a few weeks, and I'd already be the ruler of the world." He frowned. "Elsa might not like that... but maybe..." He blinked, suddenly sitting up. "Wait, that might work. That _might_ work!"

Jumping up, he raced to the doors of his lab but stopped with his hand on the handle. He hesitated, pulling on the door before releasing it and turning back, reclaiming his chair.

He was getting ahead of himself, as usual. Elsa would come talk to him once she was calm enough to consider forgiving him. If he tried pounding on her door before then, he was likely to get a face full of frost for his troubles.

He resumed his former position and latched onto the plan he'd formed, deciding it couldn't hurt to continue developing it while he waited for the blonde to come for him. He needed to be patient.

"I'll need to do a little research, a little snooping..." He mused, smiling to himself. This would be _fool proof_ by the time he was ready to set things in motion!

* * *

><p>Students filed into the blue and white shrouded Arendelle High gymnasium, the noise level rising steadily as each student melded into the stands. The football team was already standing by in the hallway, wearing their jerseys and hyping each other up, and the band was in position, individual bursts of noise adding to the overall growing chaos as various members tuned their instruments.<p>

Belle- the band's drum major- stood with Anna, Phillip, and the rest of the Student Council, quickly going over the order of the rally. The basic format was always the same but there were certain traditions and skits- performed by the pep squad- that varied in length and sometimes required the assistance of the other major groups, depending on the opponent.

"So, after the football team enters, the cheerleader are going to do their dance routine, right?"

Aurora nodded, light catching the glitter around her eyes. "Belle, will you need any time to set up?"

The brunette shook her head, barely jostling the silver whistle around her neck. "We're ready to go. Standard count off."

Phillip smiled. "Great! I think I've got the opening comments. Is Ms. Mode-"

"Dahling, I'm right here," the Principal said, approaching the students with her long, thin black pointing stick loosely held in between her fingers. She scanned the members of the Student Council. "You all look so lovely, dahlings, absolutely stunning. Very good application of glitter, Briar, complimenting eye shadow, yes, and French, my girl, very very professional, though I hate polos, you pull it off well, can't wait for the show at halftime to see you really dazzle. Prince, I say it again because it's true, the new uniforms are breath-taking, very good you listened to me dahling, very good, you should be proud. Andersen." Ms. Mode's lips quirked into a smirk. "You like the new mascot uniform, yes?"

"Heck yeah!" Anna giggled, smiling brightly with her 'head' tucked under one arm. The old mascot uniform was hot, really shaggy, and baggy to the point of discomfort. The new outfit was sleeker, a lot more breathable, and the head fit like a motorcycle helmet, locking firmly in place once she put it on. True, the head looked more like a snarling wolf with blue streaks along the muzzle, but being a Mountain Dog meant digging deep to unleash the animal inside! "I'm ready to take a bite outta Lowerton!"

"Easy, girl, easy, save that energy for later dahling, there will be time." Ms. Mode laughed. "Is everyone ready? Places, people, places!"

The Council split apart, each taking their designated positions. Anna jogged over to the rest of the pep squad, boys and girls wearing white coveralls with blue shirts, their faces painted to match the blue streaks on the mascot's head.

"You guys ready?" The group howled together, throwing their arms around each other's shoulders to form a circle around Anna. "Okay, first pep rally of the year, who's ready?" Another howl. "We're gonna pump up the crowd!" Another howl. "We're gonna keep the energy up!" Another howl. "We're the pep squad! Let's make some noise!"

Anna slammed her head on, snapping the helmet in place and raising her voice with the others. This time, the howl was echoed by the student body, the cry dying down as Belle raised her hands and launched the band into the school fight song. The football team burst into the gym as the third note began, charging through the lines formed by the cheerleaders and barking, jumping and throwing their arms as the rest of the student body shouted the fight song.

Anna and the pep squad charged into the center of the gym floor as the football team settled into their designated seats, doing flips and jumps to keep the energy up as the fight song continued. Aladdin and Peter were each doing front flips and cart wheels, pausing only to entice the students in the stands to be louder. Meanwhile, Jessie laced her hands together and held them low, bracing herself as Anna jumped into her hold, was lifted up, and executed a double back flip before landing, letting out a howl with the rest of the students as the fight song drew to a close.

With applause thundering in the enclosed space, the pep squad left the floor, making way for Phillip as he raised his hand to call for relative silence.

As the football captain addressed the assembled students, Anna brought the pep squad together, voice only slightly muffled through the head. "Great job guys! Okay, ready for the next break?"

"We're going to tear it up!" Peter grinned, high fiving Aladdin. "Sick flips, bro!"

Aladdin laughed and messed up the shorter boy's hair. "Stop trying to sound like some city kid, Peter. It doesn't suit you."

"Aw, I really put some thought into that," Peter jokingly replied.

Anna rolled her eyes and turned to the others. "Everyone's doing great! Thanks for the lift, Jessie!"

The ginger grinned widely. "Welcome! Let's keep it goin'!"

"Heck yeah!" Anna punched the air, catching Phillip's introduction of Ms. Mode. "Keep the spirits high!"

The pep squad howled together, joined by the student body as Ms. Mode strode to the middle of the floor, activating a microphone as the howl died down. Her address to the student body was relatively short and sweet, praising the school's show of (fashionable) pride and wishing luck to the football team- who answered with long, deep howls- the rodeo team- considerably quieter but with a higher timbre with the addition of the girl members- and the softball team- a much higher timbre. She also wished the marching band luck in preparing for their upcoming competition, encouraging the students to attend and witness the new uniforms in action.

"Also, I would like to bring to the attention of everyone that this year, thanks to some very intense lobbying by your fellow students-" Ms. Mode said, eyeing Merida as she sat next to Kristoff with the rest of the rodeo team "-Arendelle High will be forming an Archery Team to compete in state-wide competition. It will take some time, dahlings, there is much work to be done, but if you are interested, please see Miss Merida DunBroch, the team's interim captain."

"Interim?" Merida shouted, trying to stand up but held firmly in place by Kristoff.

Ms. Mode smoothly ignored the outburst. "Now! We have our wonderful Arendelle Mountain Dog Cheer Squad and Dance Team! Round of applause, dahlings, they look marvelous, yes?"

As Aurora and her team took the floor, Anna's pep squad pranced in front of the stands, keeping the way clear while encouraging the howls and cheers welcoming the cheerleaders to get louder. Anna was at the head of it, calling to one side of the stands, then to the other, pitting them against each other while keeping an eye on the cheerleaders. Once they were in position, Anna called for silence, nodding towards Belle before motioning for the pep squad to retreat.

The pep squad beamed as they gathered in their corner, Anna mirroring the expression beneath the mascot's head. "Good job, guys! Next up is the skit!" She turned to one particular member. "Aladdin, I just want to make sure-"

"Anna, I promise, it's fine." Aladdin laughed. "Abu doesn't mind, he's happy to help!"

Anna nodded, releasing him and Peter to get started on setting up for the skit. As the remainder of the pep squad caught their breath, they watched the cheerleader/dance team performance. It was one of the few downsides to living in such a small town; some teams had to share members or outright combine in order to meet the minimum requirements. It did lead to some pretty awesome creativity though. Once Aurora conceded to incorporate some of Esmerelda's dance moves into the cheer routine, and vice versa, the group really hit their stride. Anna was certain Arendelle had never seen such an excellent performance group.

The redheaded mascot nonchalantly leaned over, slowly assisting Peter's jaw closed as he watched the performance.

Ah, freshmen. Regardless of orientation, Esmerelda and Aurora were master choreographers, art was art, hips don't lie and they were amazing, bottom line! If she hadn't spent the better part of two years fighting Ice Queen, she might've been just as zoned out as the majority of the school.

In the relative privacy afforded her by the Mountain Dog head obscuring her face, Anna winced. She could not get the woman off her mind!

Belle looked over her shoulder briefly, a signal to Anna that the song was about to end, and the redhead quickly brought her squad together.

"Okay, every one remembers the signal?" The squad nodded. "Good. Let's have some fun with it!" Everyone smiled brightly, rocking on the balls of their feet as the last note began to fade and was swallowed by the cheers and howls of the students. Everyone moved away as Jessie came up and clipped a long blue leash to the mascot's collar.

Anna was so ridiculously excited for this!

Phillip was calling for everyone's attention, Anna dropped to the floor on all fours, and the cheerleaders exited the floor, retaking their positions by the football team; the stage was nearly set!

"One more round for our Mountain Dog dancers!" Phillip said, his voice rising above the low thrum of excited chatter before being swallowed by another chorus of cheers and howls. When they settled, he continued. "Now, we all know how tonight is going to go, but our hard working Mountain Dog squad has put together a little preview of tonight's game against the Lowerton Lemurs."

A mixture of cheers and jeers resounded as the pep squad took the floor, Anna acting the part of the Mountain Dog trying to drag her owner forward, pretending to strain against the leash. Jessie was leaning back as far as she could without losing her balance, keeping the leash taunt to complete the illusion.

"In this corner-" the football captain pointed to Anna "- we have the pride of the pack, the vicious defender, the tried and true, your very own, Mountaaaaaaaaaaaain Dooooooooooooog!" Cheers and howls filled the gym, encouraged by Anna's straining at the leash and the pep squad's flips and tricks that accompanied the announcement. Phillip turned, pointing to the other side of the gym where Aladdin had appeared, a green blanket thrown over a moving shape on his arm. "And in this corner, we have the wimpy, the uncoordinated, the soon-to-be-losing-tonight's-game, THE Lowerton Lemur!"

Aladdin pulled the blanket away to reveal his pet monkey, Abu, painted up to resemble a lemur, complete with a green shirt inscribed with the Lowerton Lemur logo. From across the gym Anna could see Abu was less than pleased about the whole ordeal but was playing along regardless, raising his arms and screeching at the jeering crowds.

"So, Mountain Dogs, I have one question!" That was the cue. Jessie dropped to a knee beside an eager Anna, unclipping the leash and pretending to hold the Mountain Dog back by the collar alone. The rest of the pep squad rushed to pass out various obstacles retrieved from under the bleachers, representations of the other school teams and their support of the night's game. "What are we going to do tonight?"

Howls and cheers erupted, Anna struggling harder against Jessie while Abu cowered on Aladdin's arm.

Phillip laughed. "That's right! We're going to _destroy_ them!"

"Get 'im!" Jessie hollered, releasing Anna and allowing the Mountain Dog to charge across the gym. Either in genuine terror or to get a little due revenge on his master, Abu jumped onto Aladdin's head once Anna began her charge. Unfortunately, he didn't know the number one rule for pep squad: you're going to get hurt at some point, so when it happens, make sure it's _epically_!

Without a shred of hesitation, Anna tackled Aladdin to the ground, completely disregarding him as Abu scampered towards the middle of the gym. She felt bad about it but someone would see to it he wasn't hurt too bad; he controlled the fall pretty well, so aside from a sore back, he shouldn't be too bad off. That's what she told herself, anyway, and focused instead on running after the faux lemur.

As the students cheered for their Mountain Dog, Anna dove for Abu repeatedly, nearly catching the monkey three times while jumping over a hay bale, dodging a soccer ball, a basketball, a baseball, and a softball bat, ducking beneath giant treble and bass clefs, and clearing a kiddie pool filled with water. She also had to weave between the cheerleaders, some of whom joined the pep squad in pumping up the crowd now that their routine was finished. Abu was barely a jump ahead of her and, despite his small stature, Anna found she had to put in some serious work to keep the chase close.

Good thing all her missions involved intense cardio and keeping her balance in less than ideal conditions. Scrambling around on all fours was not easy, even with the enhanced pads built into the uniform's gloves and boots to help her on the slick hardwood floor.

Finally, Peter opened one of the gym doors, motioning for Abu to sprint to safety with Anna hot on his heels. The moment she was in the hallway, Rapunzel- the pep squad member who also played a heavy part in the arts department- was placing a ruined plush lemur in the Mountain Dog's waiting mouth, a little bit of red food coloring liberally applied to the lifeless doll.

Here was the tricky part: keeping the plush in the costume's mouth while loping back to the center of the gym. The students howled and cheered as Anna shot up, ripping the lemur up and spiking it in the center of the gym, thrusting her fists in the air and howling her victory.

This- this was the moment she lived for. It wasn't about being the center of the attention; it was all about the emotions rolling off her classmates, the unified front, the complete and utter abandon, living in the moment as one entity, free from the divides that would bring pause at any other time.

She could live in this moment forever.

From the stands, Kristoff watched his friend soak it all in, waving her arms to encourage the throng of students to yell louder as she danced around the supposedly destroyed Lowerton Lemur. Sometimes, it was hard to believe that the girl in the dog costume who just chased a monkey around the school gym was the same girl who once came to him, bawling her eyes out because she believed no one could ever love someone who snored as loud as she did every night.

It reminded him of something he'd determined long, long ago: Anna Andersen was a silly, silly girl and he absolutely loved her for it.

Platonically, of course.

* * *

><p>Sven brayed loudly, trying to contain his excitement as he watched the festivities from one of the gym's high windows. He enjoyed watching the pep rallies, especially whenever he could see his master and his master's best friend. Last year, neither teen was very involved in the events, though Anna always bounced on the balls of her feet and cheered with the others. Kristoff found somewhere to hide half the time, unless Anna drug in him with her when they arrived.<p>

This year would be different though and he was so excited! Kristoff didn't make friends as easily as Anna. He was a nice guy, absolutely! No one was nicer, in the reindeer's opinion. However, being nice and being friendly weren't the same thing. The blond had a tendency to regard people who got too close to him like snakes ready to bite.

Sven couldn't imagine where he picked up that habit from but he could tell the blond got lonely sometimes. Maybe he just needed a mate. Or, maybe he just needed to be shoved out of his comfort zone. Anna was good at that. She'd probably help him!

The rally was beginning to wind down with the presentation of the spirit stick and Sven, albeit reluctantly, swung his head over the side of the contraption holding him up and called down to the nice security guard standing at the device's controls. With practiced care, the platform lowered until Sven could hop out. He shook himself, then pranced around the guard while gently shaking his head. While he would've been far more enthusiastic around Kristoff or Anna, past experience taught him most humans weren't very mindful of his antlers and he didn't want to hurt the woman.

"Yeah, yeah, you're welcome, Sven." The security guard replied with a little half smile. "Now get along before Principal Mode smells you or something. I like you but I ain't about to lose my job over it."

Sven snorted and lolled his tongue out.

"No, I don't think she'll find you adorable. She's been pretty adamant in the past about 'no reindeer on campus' and I don't think you want to get Kristoff in trouble."

The reindeer scrunched up his nose and rolled his eyes. The guard laid a hand on his neck and pet him, shaking her head as she did so.

"Just go home for now; I'm sure you can come back once school lets out."

With a last, grateful nuzzle into the security guard's shoulder, Sven set off, eager for the school day to end. It was still early in the autumn, which meant there would be a rodeo tonight! Kristoff was always happier after rodeos!

From beside the Genie, the security officer sighed, passing a hand over her face. "I swear he can understand me better than some of the students. Or maybe I've finally lost my marbles."

* * *

><p>Kristoff eyed the redhead from across the lunch table. Something was up and he had a hunch what it was but- when it came to matters like this- sometimes it was better to just let Anna work things out on her own.<p>

To determine his level of involvement, he had to test the waters. "Do you want to talk about it?"

"It's silly," Anna replied, picking at her personal pizza.

With that reply, this, officially, was not one of those times.

Kristoff had to tread carefully here. One wrong move could send the redhead off on the wrong tangent and then it would be a nightmare wrangling her back to the subject at hand. "It's been on your mind all day."

"My comment stands." She was being intentionally stubborn. Awesome.

"Are you really going to invite me to dig through our combined history to point out all the 'silly' conversations we've had?" Kristoff raised a brow. "And exactly how _not_ silly they were?"

Anna groaned in defeat. Of course, once she'd decided not to talk to Kristoff about it, he'd bring it up anyway. She swore he could read her like a book. After a few more pathetic attempts at stalling, the verbal hemorrhage began and she ran through every thought to cross her mind since she woke up that morning regarding Ice Queen.

By the time she was done, lunch was almost over.

The blond scratched his cheek and sighed, leaning forward slightly. "You wanna know how to make this whole thing super easy?"

She eagerly leaned forward, eyes wide as her attention focused on the boy across from her.

"Next time we jet off to stop those two..." Kristoff took a deep breath and spread his hands between them. "Just ask her what her name is." Anna scowled, ready to nearly bite his head off, but he beat her to the punch. "Think about it: if she has even a little bitty crush on you, she's going to tell you. I'm certain of it."

Anna sighed. "Women don't have crushes, Kris. Girls do."

"One, not true. Two, semantics." Kristoff crossed his arms over his chest. "She's interested in you. I can tell."

Narrowing her eyes, the redhead mirrored his position. "I don't believe you."

"And who's parents are love experts?" The blond chuckled, getting up from the table. "Seriously though, just consider it. What's the worst that can happen?"

"She freezes me solid," Anna replied, following suit.

"She hasn't done it yet." Kristoff pointed out. "And not for lack of opportunity either."

Biting her lip, Anna threw out her trash and started for her locker. "I guess that's true."

"Just give it a shot!" Kristoff gently encouraged, nudging her with his shoulder. "You've had crushes before, right? And you confronted all of them. This crush isn't any different."

"Oh, the lass has a crush?" Merida suddenly appeared on Anna's other side, Rapunzel following close behind, excitement plain on their faces.

"Anyone we know?" The blonde leaned closer, nearly draping herself across Merida's shoulder in the process. Despite several attempts, Rapunzel hadn't quite grasped the concept of 'personal space' yet. "What grade? Boy or girl? Have you kissed yet? Come on, give us a hint!"

"Oy! Girl! Get offa me!" Merida grumbled, rolling her eyes when her request fell on deaf ears, returning her attention to the redhead. "Oh, wha'ever, answer the questions, lass. We want details!"

"Guys, come on, it's, uh, not really that big a deal. I just, uh..." See, _here_ was where Kristoff would usually sweep in and stop her before she said something stupid. Usually.

"So, there's this woman, and I mean _woman_, filled out, amazing body, just drop-dead-super-model-gorgeous, you guys have no idea, and I mean, when she's in the zone, it's like nothing can stop her, and her voice is amazing, it's like chocolate, seriously addictive, and I don't even know if she's into girls, or if she likes me, but she's just _really_ pretty and focused and so sexy, geez, when she's using her powers-"

"Powers?" The two girls chorused, drawing back slightly in surprise.

That Anna, Kristoff, and Sven traveled around the world: common knowledge. That their most regular opponents included a woman with an otherworldly command over ice and snow? Yeah, not so much.

"Yeah, she can, like, shoot ice beams and stuff from her hands." Anna noted her friends' contemplative looks. "What?"

"It doesn't strike ya as a bit strange she has, ya know, magic powers." Merida raised a brow. "Doesn't... bug ya, a wee bit?"

"It's just part of who she is." Anna shrugged. "I don't know if she gained the powers or was born with them but, to me, it's just... I dunno, like eye color, something that's part of who she is and, ya know, really hard to miss, but it doesn't really define her to me. I mean, the way she keeps a cool head even when the self destruct warning is going off, like she's so fearless, that's a lot more attractive than her powers. Not that her powers aren't attractive because, wow, she's so in her element when she's summoning up ice, seriously guys, it's something you just have to see." She scrunched her nose up. "Also, I'm still not sure if it's magic. For all I know, she fell into a vat of radioactive slurpie mix! But her skin is really pale, like she doesn't spend much time outside, but oh! She has freckles- I just noticed that last night- that're really pale and you don't notice them unless you're super close and they're super adorable. Besides, I don't think magic exists-"

"Oh, it exists," Rapunzel said, not a hint of anything other than utter sincerity in her tone.

If Merida was at all surprised by the blonde's words, she recovered quickly and agreed. "Oh, yeah, she's rightcha know. Magic is a thing. That exists."

Anna blinked, a little curious about their assertions but accepting it with a shrug. "Maybe it is magic, then, 'cause she's always wearing these gloves, but she might have a thing about dirt or something, or maybe they help her cast spells like some sorta cloth wands or something-"

Kristoff smacked a hand to his forehead and groaned; he'd let this run a little too long. "I think you're missing the point, Anna."

"What point?"

The bell rung out, prompting the four to glance up out of habit.

"We'll talk later, Anna," Rapunzel said, a tad of mischief glinting in her eyes. "Promise!"

Merida lightly punched her shoulder. "Just don't go gettin' distracted durin' tha game, Andersen. Can't have our star pitcher mentally checked out 'cause ah some pretty girl."

Anna shook her head, quickly opening her locker to grab books for her class. She almost missed Kristoff's words as she turned to leave.

She turned back, a brow raised in question. "What was that, Kris?"

He laid a hand on her shoulder with a smirk. "I said, I want to make a bet with you, Fiesty Pants."

He was pulling out the childhood nicknames.

This was about to get real.

"If you can go from now until the end of the school day without thinking about Ice Queen more than five times, I'll lay off about your crush. If you can't, you have to ask her for her name on the next mission."

Anna laughed. That was a stupid bet; she hadn't thought about Ice Queen during the pep rally... much... so a few more classes? "Okay, you're on!"

* * *

><p>Elsa put her book aside, massaging her temples as the sun began to set. She'd spent the day barricaded in her room, with Marshmallow guarding the door and Olaf running to grab her snacks or books. Between the runs, the smaller snowman had sat with her, patiently waiting for another request until she'd decided to read aloud from an old storybook, one she'd salvaged from her home before leaving for good.<p>

He'd fallen asleep about midway through and Marshmallow was dozing in the corner despite neither requiring sleep to continue functioning. It was more of a learned habit than anything and it brought a smile to her lips. They looked so peaceful, it was almost heartbreaking. She created them; she was their mother in some respects.

Personally, she didn't like to see it that way but not for a want to shirk responsibility. They were her friends, her best friends, and they would always be so. To think of them as her sons was strange; she could readily accept them as her brothers though. When the rest of the world was against her, they would never leave her side.

But, on occasion, she had to leave theirs.

Elsa got up from the bed and strode towards the vanity, looking at her reflection. With a wave of her hand, her clothing changed, baggy pants and a hoodie materializing in a darker shade than her signature blue. Another motion covered the mirror in a layer of frost, the ice spreading across the glass to the edges until the entire surface was coated. With one finger, she left a message for her beloved snowmen and turned towards her balcony.

She shut the doors behind her and vaulted over the now pristine railing, forming another ice slide to ferry her away from the Palace. The blonde couldn't walk across the snow even as more fell from the sky above, couldn't risk Olaf or Hans trying to follow her tracks. Trips like these were short enough and frequent enough they wouldn't be too concerned though nothing seemed to satisfy their curiosity as to her whereabouts.

It was better to simply slip out and leave no trail behind. Elsa just needed a little space.

* * *

><p>The moon peeked out from behind the clouds as the marching band took the field; halftime was Anna's chance to take a break and check in with Kristoff.<br>The first half of the football game was exhausting for all the right reasons. Phillip managed to take the offense down the field with every possession and the defense, led by Adam, were holding the Lemurs to a shut out so far. Anna suspected the coach would ease up in the second half- if there were two things Coach Phil Gotes loved, it was comebacks and underdogs, even if they weren't his team- but watching the Mountain Dog footballers take it to the house time and time again was awesome!

And _really_ tiring! She hadn't done so many front flips, back flips, hand stands, and cartwheels, since that incident in the Savannah when she had to fight Ice Queen while dodging mind controlled crocodiles and lions.

The redhead groaned, leaning her head back against the unyielding concrete of the stadium. She was close enough to the locker room to be out of most everyone's sight without slinking off entirely; she would be leading the charge next to Phillip back onto the field once the halftime show ended and it was easier to stay within line-of-sight of the locker room doors.

Needless to say, she lost the stupid bet. Badly. It was just- maybe she hadn't really noticed it before, but this woman had taken up a _considerable_ amount of her time without her even realizing it. How many missions were she and Kristoff called to regarding The Prince and Ice Queen? She lost track! And for every instance she could think of where she spent considerable time and energy dedicated to one person- any person except Kristoff and her parents, that is- she could think of a comparable amount of time and energy spent fighting Ice Queen!

And, well, it was more than that too; Kristoff really struck a nerve about the whole 'not for lack of opportunity' thing. Maybe it was her pride that made it a bigger deal than it was but, well, it was a valid point! Just like the other day, after seeing what Ice Queen did to those soldiers? She'd never used her powers like that on Anna! When the two fought, the ice was meant to focus Anna's attention on the wielder, not actively injure or immobilize her. In fact, that last mission was the first time the ice ever touched her in anything other than a face-meets-floor sort of way.

So, was she just not that good of an opponent and Ice Queen didn't consider her a threat? Or... did Ice Queen genuinely like her and didn't want her to get hurt?  
>Sometimes, people confused her.<p>

With a shake of her head, Anna checked her buzzing phone, reading the text from Kristoff.

_So far, so good. Merida's still refusing to change mounts for the barrel races though._

Anna wasn't surprised; her fellow redhead was fiercely proud of her Scottish homeland and adamantly refused to ride any horse but her Scottish Clydesdale, Angus. It wasn't something Kristoff pressed too hard about, partially due to his own extreme attachment to Sven- though he still couldn't ride a reindeer in the cutting competition, much to his dismay- and partially due to Angus being very quick despite his size. The fiery Scott always came in in the middle of the pack and, unlike, Anna, she'd never so much as nudged a barrel during a run.

Besides all that, Merida competed in barrel racing grudgingly anyway. She preferred the roping events. Barrel racing, as well as cutting, were Mulan's favored events. Though all three competed in every event they could in order to put pressure on their competition, it was pretty clear who excelled at what.

_Mulan killed it, didn't she?_

_There's not a horse alive that can beat Khan on a turn._

Anna giggled, glad the comment was made via text and not aloud. Even if Maximus was still at the stable, the stallion was quite proud and never quite got along well with Khan for that very reason. Such was the way of stallions, though. Speaking of Max, she needed to talk to Rapunzel- or rather, bring it up whenever she decided to continue their talk from earlier- about doing another favor to balance out borrowing the blonde's beloved horse. She was a little surprised Rapunzel hadn't brought it up yet, given their mutual involvement in pep squad, but attributed it to the high tempo of the game. They would talk about it eventually, though she somewhat dreaded the conversation.

Speaking of dread...

Anna snapped her fingers- which was slightly dampened by the gloves of her mascot uniform- and quickly pulled up her conversation with Mulan. She'd meant to ask her something earlier but totally forgot.

She could be such a space case sometimes.

_Hey, would it be possible to spar sometime in the near future? I get the feeling my skills aren't up to snuff. :/_

She needed to work at improving her hand-to-hand fighting and, given Kristoff's encounter with The Prince, she might even take up weapon fighting too. Mulan was an avid practitioner of martial arts, fencing, and other weapon based fighting styles in her personal time, especially when she helped her father run the Martial Arts Academy in town. If there was anyone who could help her improve before her next battle with Ice Queen, it would be Mulan. If she was willing to have such a klutz as a student. Again.

Thundering applause and howls brought Anna back to the present as the Mountain Dog band exited the field, Belle marching proudly at the head of the formation. The redhead had to admit, when Ms. Mode wanted to make an awesome uniform, there was nothing to equal it.

Tucking her phone away, Anna donned the head of her own uniform and waited for the buzzer the blare, signalling the teams to return to the field. As Phillip and the rest of the team stormed out of the locker room, the redhead fell into step beside him, the rest of the pep squad pumping up the crowd as they surged onto the field.

At the fifty yard line, Aladdin was waving the school flag, a field of blue trimmed in white with the Mountain Dog emblem in the center. Per usual, the band waited at the edge of the field, playing the fight song as the team returned before taking the third quarter to rest after their show.

Anna did a few front flips across the thirty, rolling into a somersault breaking into a little dance at the forty yard line that had the crowd cheering and howling in equal measure, finishing her little routine with a back hand spring to the fifty and a victorious punch at the air, sending the crowd into a frenzy once more.

As she jogged off the field, she gave anyone with a hand up a high five and took the school flag from Aladdin, running up the wall to teeter on the edge of the stands, waving the flag above her head as the announcer, Mr. P, began his speech for the second half. His booming voice could barely be heard over the howling Mountain Dog fans and Anna couldn't possibly smile any wider.

* * *

><p>Snow fell earlier than usual this year.<p>

Elsa wasn't sure if she was happy about that or not. On the one hand, it allowed her to travel further south than usual and the distance helped. On the other, she went a little too far.

Curled up on a little outcropping she'd fashioned for herself out of ice, cool blue eyes roamed over the sight before her. Lights dotted the buildings, lined the streets, cars rumbled to and fro on occasion, smoke rose from a few chimneys... in the early autumn, the town looked peaceful covered in patchy white splotches of mostly melted snow. The stars above were dulled slightly by the concentration of light before her but Elsa found herself willing to admit she might not miss their company as much as she once did.

When was the last time she'd actually gone into a town or a city? Not on one of Hans' mad power trips or to gather supplies for the Palace but to just walk down the street? On the outside, there was nothing obviously wrong with her. A little pale, sure, almost unnaturally light hair, but the hoodie could fix that.

No one would know what kind of monster she was at a glance.

The blonde sighed, eyes falling to the base of the mountain she'd claimed as her perch. Trees separated her from the town. Trees and the fear of losing control, of unleashing the monster that lived just beneath her skin.

It was stupid, really. She'd proven- time and time again- that she was in control. She didn't kill people, no, she didn't; she didn't hurt them, really, except to knock them unconscious for their own good-

Elsa bit her lip. Except for Anna, the cute little redhead. She'd hurt her a lot. Too many times to ever be forgiven. The blonde rubbed her side; the bruise had appeared, as she expected, but it would heal quickly. A mere inconvenience than anything; her ice protected her body better than any armor ever could.

How long did Anna suffer the pain of bruises after one of their fights? Was she lying in her bed, groaning in pain, or trying to sleep while she could, before the pain became unbearable again?

Shit, _why_ did say anything to the redhead at all? The rules were simple: follow Hans, watch him screw up, stall until the place started to blow, help Hans escape. Easy! _Flirting with the spunky redhead was not part of the plan!_

Elsa groaned. How could she be so _stupid_? The girl comes charging in with her boyfriend every time to stop them; if her heart was going to betray her, couldn't it have picked someone _else_ to dedicate itself to? Preferably someone she had no chance of ever interacting with in person? It would save her a ton of embarrassment!

_Oh shit!_ How was she going to face down the redhead at the next failure of Hans' plan? What, pretend it didn't happen?

Wait...

Actually, that could work. The redhead probably wrote it off as something to get under her skin. If neither of them mentioned it... yeah, okay, that was Plan A. If the redhead _did_ mention it though... pretend it _was_ just something to get under her skin. Then, she could satisfy her desire to say... _things_ to Anna without being taken seriously. She could just 'tease' her.

She'd always believed she was marginally better at forming plans than Hans ever could be. This would work.

Somewhere in the distance, a wolf howled. Crap. It was getting late.

Elsa was about to push off from the mountain when she heard voices coming closer. A quick peek down at the treeline confirmed a few figures moving through it, most likely kids trying to be rebellious and sneak around town, causing mischief in the middle of the night. It brought a faint smile to her lips. She remembered what that was like, sneaking out in the dead of night to play in the snow.

It was just a memory now. She didn't _have_ to sneak anywhere; it was her choice because she was free.

Turning away, the blonde formed her ice slide and fled back towards the Palace, leaving the quiet town behind. As the lights of the town receded, the stars became comparatively brighter, accompanying her once more on her flight away from the world she couldn't dare to re-enter.

Freedom... kinda sucked.

* * *

><p>By the time she was back home, the redhead was nearly dead on her feet. The last few days were long, tiring, and so, totally, utterly worth it! But they were catching up pretty fast. And she still had one more day to go!<p>

"Welcome home, dear." Her mother came from seemingly nowhere and wrapped her up in a warm hug. Anna could barely return it, her energy spent. "Long week? You've been gone so much..."

"M'yeah," she replied, releasing her mother and trudging up to her room. "Shower in'tha mornin'. Sleep now."

Her mother chuckled. "I'll be sure you're up in time to shower and eat before the game. Get a good night's rest, Sweetheart."

"Kay. Love you, Mom."

"Love you too, Anna."

The redhead could barely make it to her bed. In hindsight, maybe challenging the Lowerton Lemur to a worm competition down the field was a bad idea.

Then again, she won and the home stands erupted in cheers... so, totally worth it.

As soon as she face planted into the soft sheets, calm instantly enveloped her and she was drifting off with one final thought.

Sunday. Sunday was her 'day off' and she was going to love it.

* * *

><p>Author's Note: Thanks to all of you who put up with my insanity. Seriously, y'all are awesome. I hope you enjoyed this chapter. I was going to do NaNoWriMo this year... then I said screw it, I'm gonna write Elsanna instead. Again, thanks for all the reads, reviews, favorites, and follows. See y'all next week!<p> 


	4. Perfect Timing

**Disclaimer**: Still don't own the things. Characters you recognize are from their respective works. I ain't rollin' like that.

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><p>Colorado autumns were awesome, in Anna's book. The sun overhead was warm and the wind coming from the mountains was cool, a perfect blend that complemented almost any activity. Especially softball.<p>

The redhead adjusted her hat, reading Mulan's signal and glancing over her shoulder at the rest of her team before taking the mound. They were undefeated so far and they wanted to keep the streak going but... they were also ahead by seven runs in the top of the sixth. Sure, the Lemurs still stood a chance... but they really didn't.

Taking a deep breath, Anna targeted Mulan's awaiting glove, her focus narrowing as she wound up and pitched, the neon yellow ball whizzing through the air and past the batter, firmly secured in Mulan's catcher's glove before the poor Lowerton player even had a chance to swing.

"Strike three!" The umpire called and Anna punched the air; three up, three down, and it was the bottom of the sixth.

The Mountain Dog stands erupted in howls and cheers, Aurora leading the cheer team in an acapella rendition of the school fight song. Belle had apologized about ten times for the band being unable to attend but Anna completely understood; they had a marching competition coming up soon and needed the practice. She couldn't fault the brunette for wanting to dedicate as much time to the marching show as possible.

As the softballers trotted to the dugout, Anna called out the next three batters in the line up. The team's coach- actually, she coached any and every girls' sport at Arendelle- had a schedule conflict and couldn't attend herself. Though there was an adult to 'supervise' the team as required, she and Coach Calhoun agreed that Anna was more than capable of taking care of the nuances of gameplay.

Multifaceted she may be, Officer Brooks was first and foremost a security officer. Keeping the kids safe and supervised was in the job description; learning the rules of high school softball was not.

As Pocahontas grabbed her bat and strode to the plate, Anna focused on the next two batters in the line-up. "Okay, we're doing well, so no over-exerting yourselves! We can't afford to lose a player this close to the playoffs!"

The ping of a ball meeting metal echoed across the field and Anna turned in time to catch sight of Pocahontas rather leisurely jogging to first base as an outfielder chased down the grounded ball.

"Just like that then?" Merida laughed, taking a few practice swings with her bat, her unruly hair flaring over her shoulders from under her helmet.

"Yeah, just like that," Anna said, shaking her head as Tiana jogged over to the plate. Walking over to the bench, the redhead tossed her ball cap onto her bag and pulled her helmet out, just in case she ended up batting. She settled down on the bench and tapped Esmeralda on the shoulder. "Hey, thanks for joining the team this year. Aurora probably gave you a hard time about it."

The other girl laughed, waving it off and smiling. "We're Mountain Dogs, Anna, we run with the pack! Besides, Aurora isn't mad. I just can't talk to any of them during the game, that's all." She reached up and fiddled with her long raven locks, tightening her ponytail a little. "Trust me, it's not so bad; if I have to listen to Snow give one more lecture on proper nail polish application, I think I might choke her out myself."

Anna giggled. "Still, we really appreciate it."

"It's the least I can do after you helped track down Djali last year."

"Oh, that was nothing; I'm glad I found him before the blizzard got too bad and Kristoff helped out a lot. The boy knows his ice, let me tell you."

The two laughed as Mulan- freshly out of her catcher padding- walked over to grab a bat.

"Hey Anna, sorry I didn't reply to your text," she said, tucking the bat under her arm as she pulled on her batting gloves. "I'm sure your skills are fine but, if you'd like further instruction, I'm sure Papa and I can give you some lessons."

"I'd really appreciate it, Mulan." Anna beamed, turning slightly to face the catcher. "Could Kristoff come too? I haven't really talked to him about it yet but he might want to, I think."

Mulan laughed, settling her helmet on her head. "It's perfectly fine, Anna. Papa and I were planning on practicing tomorrow anyway. Would that work for you?"

Tomorrow was Sunday, her day off.

"Absolutely!" She could always catch up any missed sleep on Tuesday. There wasn't anything planned for then... yet. "I'll talk to Kristoff at the rodeo tonight."

"I still don't get why the cheerleaders don't go to the rodeos." Esmeralda scrunched up her nose, tilting her head to the side. "I mean, we go to every other sporting event. We'll probably go to the archery competitions whenever they start up. Why not rodeo?"

Anna nudged the raven haired girl playfully as another ping rang out. "Do you _really_ want to stick Aurora, Snow, and Jasmine on the side of a dirt arena with horses and cattle running around?"

"Oh, right, dirt- a cheerleader's Kryptonite." The two laughed as Mulan took her turn at the plate.

"Don't say that too loud; I don't need Aurora fuming at me on Monday for sowing dissent in her ranks or whatever," Anna replied with a chuckle, glancing at the field. Pocahontas was already on third and Merida on first. Mulan- though one heck of a hitter when she was properly motivated- was definitely going to sacrifice; if she _did_ hit, Merida would try her hardest to get the run.

Merida believed in soundly crushing her opponents by trying to evoke the mercy rule; Mulan preferred to dial back the effort and leave the score low. For Anna, it really depended on the opponent. Some teams could come back from a severe deficit- like Middleton and Berk- and more than one game in Arendelle history was lost after a comeback like that. Lowerton, on the other hand, usually struggled, especially this year. With only three innings left, it was a pretty safe bet that dialing back wouldn't come back to bite them in the ninth.

Standing up, Anna turned her attention to the rest of the team. "Listen up! No more picking your pitches; take a swing at whatever they throw. If you hit, jog, but don't force any more scores and don't injure yourselves."

Howls answered her and she sat back down with a grin just as Mulan bunted the ball between second and third. The Lemurs' pitcher made a valiant attempt at making the catch but missed, giving Pocahontas the go ahead to score the run. Rather than throw to first, the shortstop lobbed the ball to second and Merida was called out, shooting a slight glare at her teammate as she trotted back to the dugout.

"She didn't hafta do tha'." The Scot grumbled, ripping off her helmet. Before she could go much farther, Anna stepped up, putting on her serious face.

"Merida, we're up eight to nothing and it's still the sixth. We need to save our strength for the playoffs."

"It's part ah psychological warfare to crush tha enemy while ya got tha chance." Her accent was shining through even stronger as she tossed the helmet onto her bag.

Anna furrowed her brows slightly. "No one's impressed by a team that crushes an easy opponent and the Lemurs are still trying to rebuild after over half the team graduated. You want a team to crush? We play Berk in three weeks. Save your energy for them."

Merida's scowl morphed into a wide grin. Bringing up their biggest rivals was always a sure way to change the direction of any conversation. "Aye, ye got a point. The poor lasses won't know what hit 'em!"

"That's the spirit." Anna clapped the other redhead on the shoulder and returned to her seat, returning her attention to Esmeralda. "Anyway, all joking aside, there's a reason the cheerleaders don't go to the rodeos. While our horses are well behaved _most_ of the time, the more people you have in a localized area who _don't_ deal with livestock on a regular basis, the higher the chance for injuries. That's why the pep squad goes but the mascot uniform is left in the locker and they don't get as animated; bulls and bucs are dangerous enough without more people inciting them from the stands."

Esmeralda shook her head, smiling. "I don't know how you do it."

"Do what?" Anna furrowed her brow, pouting slightly as the other girl laughed.

"Just... be _you_." Esmeralda looked at her, still shaking her head slightly. "You just... _get_ people, like you have this... hidden stethoscope pressed tight on the pulse of the school and every student in it. I think I've seen you stop more fights than a hockey ref!"

Anna rolled her eyes, waving off the compliment. "Nah, I'm just a people person and I like to keep everything running smoothly for everyone." She shrugged. "Helping people; it's what I do."

"If you say so."

"Andersen!" Officer- er, Coach, for the time being anyway, Brooks barked out from her post just outside the dugout. "Warm up."

"Oops! Sorry Coach!" Anna scrambled to pull her gloves on, selecting a bat at random from the rack. She wasn't trying to hit so it really didn't matter but she took a few practice swings anyway while Brooks stepped closer to her.

"Please don't leave me alone with them for too long." Wearing one of the Staff polos- blue with white trim and the Arendelle logo on her breast and back- instead of her usual fitted black suit always made Officer Brooks uneasy. "I like my job too much to get into it with DunBroch again."

Although everyone pretty much pretended it _hadn't_ happen, no one would ever forget the Scot's first day at Arendelle and her 'misunderstanding' with the school's security officer. It was still a bit of a sore spot with the officer moreso than Merida for reasons... better left unsaid.

"I'll be back before you can blink." Anna assured her, ready to stride towards the on-deck circle as one of the freshman readied herself for her last swing. She was already two strikes down.

Mulan was still on first and they had one out, another pending the girl at bat; all Anna had to do was strike out and the inning would be over. Just swing at whatever was thrown, not too much effort in any swing, and that would be the inning. Too easy.

She was snapped from her musings by the pinging of metal, eyes honing in on the ball that went sailing into center field.

"Are ye frickin' serious!"

"Can it, DunBroch! Keep! Your! Seat!"

Anna's jaw popped open as the ball suddenly dropped off, falling to the field halfway between second plate and the center fielder. However, none of the Lemurs were rushing to pick the ball up. Mulan started jogging towards second while the freshman- Violet? Right, Violet- went for first, throwing Anna an apologetic wince.

"Well, we tried." Anna muttered, nodding at both of the runners as they rounded the bases. The Lemurs had given up, prefering the state's mercy rule rather than playing the full game. Mulan hit home and gave Anna a small shrug before heading into the dugout. Violet, on the other hand, hit home and nearly stopped, averting her eyes as she approached the redhead. "Hey, Violet."

The girl's eyes snapped to Anna's as she gulped.

The redhead instantly felt a little bad; she didn't mean to _scare_ the girl. "That was a good hit."

"But you said-"

"Hey, it happens, it's no big deal. Seriously." Anna smiled. "Don't sweat it."

Violet nodded and went to the dugout where the other girls quietly congratulated her.

The umpire removed his mask and called over both coaches and team captains, prompting Anna to start towards home. She recognized the Lowerton coach, a portly man with a Lemur polo, and the team captain, the team's designated hitter from last year. Officer Brooks was on her way over after a few shouted warnings at Merida.

"What'd'ya say?" The umpire looked between the coaches. "Technically speaking, we're supposed to wait until the end of the seventh, but do ya wanna call it now?"

"Discretion _is_ the better part of valor," The Lemur coach said with a wry grin, turning to the team captain.

The girl chuckled and shook her head. "She's just going to shut us out again. Let's just bow out now."

Anna offered a small smile. "There's always next time."

The Lemur captain put her hands up in surrender. "Come on, let's be real about this. No one's bringin' the heat on the Mountain Dogs this year."

"This okay with you, Coach?" The umpire looked at Officer Brooks.

After a slight nod from Anna, Brooks replied with a firm nod of her own, shaking the Lemur coach's hand.

As they returned to their respective dugouts, Anna called the team together to shake hands with their opponents, the Mountain Dog fans howling and cheering as the game was officially brought to a close. When Merida made to pass her, Anna grabbed her arm. "Merida-"

The other redhead laughed, slinging an arm around Anna's shoulders. "Oh, I know, Anna. Play nice an' don't rub it in too harsh." Her face twisted up slightly. "Wish I'da been on tha field though. But at least I hit! Why do we always put ye so low on tha battin' order anyway?"

"So she can swoop in to save the day, that's why," Esmeralda said, not bothering to contain her laugh at Anna's furious blush. She was a pretty good pitcher, yes, but not so great on the hitting front. "Oh come on, Supergirl, you know I'm just teasing!"

As Pocohantas passed, she nudged Merida and nodded towards the Lemurs players. "I think they're just as ready to get out of here as we are."

"She said it." One of the Lemurs laughed, another nodding along. "We still have to drive back to Lowerton!"

"You wanna make it up to us, though," the other Lemur said. "Just beat the stuffing out of Middleton next week. Throw a no-hitter against them, and we'll be even. Until October, anyway."

Everyone in earshot laughed. Middleton was pretty stiff competition and consistent from year-to-year, so throwing a no-hitter was a pretty tall order. Then again, the rivalry between Middleton and Lowerton was based on proximity, seeing as the two school zones and cities bordered each other; the rivalry between Middleton and Arendelle was purely based on school history and records.

If Anna was going to pitch a no-hitter against any team, though, she'd choose Berk every time. Shutting out the Guardians in any sport was a heavily celebrated event in school _and_ in town.

"I'll see what I can do." Anna offered, prompting another round of laughter before the teams parted ways. As the Mountain Dog softballers began collecting their belongings, Anna called out reminders about practice the following week, stopping only when she heard the telltale ringtone from her communication device.

She pointedly ignored how badly she hoped the call included a specific individual.

"Hey Mr. Oaken! Where are we going this time?" Anna answered with a grin.

"Anna! Good to see you. Ve have request from Vashington."

"Washington state or Washington D.C.?" She _really_ hoped it was Washington state. No offense to the guy, but she really didn't feel like dealing with the President so soon after the Paris incident.

"State, ya." Oh thank goodness. "Very bad landslide is big problem. No one hurt yet but is very fishy. The local fire department and rangers are asking for your help."

Anna nodded, masking her slight disappointment; the park rangers were very nice to her after she helped them rescue a bear that was trapped during a forest fire. Apparently, the park ranger had raised the bear before releasing him into the wild but the two rarely went long without checking in on each other. The bear was almost as grateful as the ranger.

"Ride?"

"Already on the vay, ya, they pick up Kristoff first. You still at softball game?"

"We just finished. Lucky timing, I guess." Anna shrugged, picking up her bag and trotting out of the dugout. "I'll go change into my mission clothes. Can you let them know we'll be there as soon as we can?"

Mr. Oaken nodded before the screen went blank and the device was returned to her pocket.

Anna called out a final reminder to the softball team, receiving a chorus of 'good luck's and 'stay safe's as well as one particularly emphatic 'get on with ye' before turning her attention to the gymnasium. She had no clue when Oaken's ride would arrive so she couldn't waste any time!

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><p>Kristoff grit his teeth, guiding Sven as best he could on the rocky terrain. Years of walking and running on ice barely lent experience to maneuvering on barely solidified mud so the rocky outcropping was a blessing, but it was only a matter of time before the swell of mud and debris overwhelmed their position. Sven was handling it like a champ though, keeping his attention on picking where every hoof struck on the rock and jumping over rolling mud.<p>

Really, it wasn't for Sven's or his own sake that he was so very, very concerned about the shoddy footing. Anna was further into the unstable ground, using what amounted to a trash can lid to surf the swirling, debris ridden mud flow. There was a rope connecting them, one end secured to Sven's saddle while the other was wrapped tightly around Anna's waist as a life line, but Kristoff was still nervous. It was barely long enough to reach their desired target- the remnants of a two story house's roof with two stranded kids huddled on top, clinging to each other in terror.

"Easy, Sven," Kristoff said, eyes glued to his friend as she swung her weight to pull the rope taut, almost parallel with Sven as he took the firmer ground. As they neared where the disconnected roof was being pushed by the landslide, Kristoff leaned back hard, bringing Sven to a stop. With Sven and Kristoff acting as the fulcrum, Anna swung like a pendulum towards the stranded kids, riding her impromptu transport onto the decimated shingles of the roof and coaxing the children towards her.

All she knew was their mother was at work and their father had left the house to run to the store when the third landslide hit; he was completely inconsolable as the rangers and rescue workers desperately tried to evacuate the surrounding areas. He could barely articulate his own name, much less the names of his children.

The smaller child latched onto Anna's leg readily, looking for anything solid as the earth beneath them shifted and buckled, but her big brother was paralyzed by fear.

"It's okay, I'm not going to hurt you," Anna said, as gently as she could while yelling over the shifting mud and helicopters in the distance. "I'm just trying to get you back to your father."

That seemed to get him moving, the boy attaching himself on Anna's other side, arms wrapped firmly around her waist. She would have to be a bit more careful about how she shifted her weight but she could manage. Piece of cake.

Anna was about to give Kristoff the signal to start pulling them in when she heard the barking close by, turning her head in time to see a dog break through the mud as it desperately tried to keep above the rolling torrent surrounding it.

"Anna, come on, think about this." The blond atop the reindeer muttered. From where he sat, Kristoff felt his heart tug in two directions: yes, he wanted to save the dog because he loved animals and this one was fighting and he always tried to help animals who were fighting to survive... but he'd rather Anna not try and push her luck on a trash can lid in seriously unstable terrain.

It was no contest though; of course Anna would angle her makeshift mud surfboard towards where the dog was, bending down and pulling him free while keeping a firm hold on the smaller child. Of course, it couldn't be something small, like a Chihuahua, no, it just had to be a Bulldog.

"Back, Sven, back!" Kristoff roared, grabbing his end of the rope and pulling. There was far too much weight on that lid for it to stay topside for long if Anna lost momentum. She was doing the best she could to swerve left and right, keeping the 'front' of the lid angled so they stayed above the rushing mud, but that would only last for so long if Sven and Kristoff couldn't bring them to mostly solid ground.

Just as Anna and her cargo were about to reach the tip of the rocky outcropping Sven and Kristoff were on, a stray... _something_- what, was that part of a windmill or did people leave twenty foot long jigsaw blades just lying around in Washington state?- broke from beneath the shifting surface and arc up, ready to fall on Anna's life line.

Kristoff caught the motion of the redhead's arm just as the whatever-it-was began to fall. "Sven! Watch Anna!"

The reindeer snapped his gaze to his master's best friend- legs braced for the moment the tension was lost- and caught the overhead motion of throwing a lasso. The moment he felt the tension disappear from the rope attached to his saddle, another rope- Anna's rodeo rope- sailed towards them, the loop wide.

Lunging forward- and nearly throwing Kristoff in the process- Sven closed the distance between him and the lasso, lowering his head and allowing his antlers to give him the added reach. He almost regretted it the moment the rope went taut, braying in pain as the tension threatened to snap his antler clean off. But he dropped his hind quarters regardless, anchoring himself as best he could and pulling back, trying to bring Anna close.

"Hang on, buddy!" Kristoff shouted, dismounting the moment Sven had his legs under him- their combined weight was a pretty solid anchor even in unstable footing- and grabbing the rope, leaning back with every fiber of his being with Sven, rider and mount frantically fighting to pull their friend and her cargo to safety.

Plastic scrapped against rock as Anna and company reached the lowest point of the outcropping, the redhead quickly ushering the children further onto the solid ground. The breaking and cracking of wood drew her attention over one shoulder, where she could see the roof the children had ridden splinter and buckle as it hit another rocky outcropping, bursting into fragments before her very eyes.

Pressing a hand against the boy's back while Kristoff rushed to pick up the girl, the group moved further up until they heard the telltale whirl of helicopter blades above them. The rescue chopper had arrived and already a worker was being lowered with two harnesses attached to him.

Sven did his best to shield them from the battering wind generated from the chopper blades until the worker touched down. Anna helped the little girl into the harness while Kristoff attended to the boy, the rescue worker wrapping a protective arm around each child.

The Bulldog, shaking like a leaf on the ground beside them, watched the scene unfold with wide eyes. Kristoff gingerly picked the dog up and set him between the siblings.

"You hold here and you here!" He positioned the girl's arms around the dog's rear legs while the boy held the upper body.

"Lived here twenty years and I've never seen anything like this!" The worker told Anna, shaking his head. "Entire neighborhoods, gone!"

"You, stay!" Kristoff tapped the dog's nose once. "As long as you hold tight, you'll all be fine, okay?" Three sets of eyes were on him and he smiled. "I promise, you'll be fine. Hold tight!"

Anna and Kristoff stepped back, crouching low and turning away as the rescue worker, children, and dog were hauled up. It was a lot of weight to pull at once but it was a risk worth taking, given the dull rumble of yet more land sliding somewhere in the distance.

Once the chopper was heading back towards safer ground, Anna turned to Kristoff. "There's no way this is natural!"

The blond was already hoisting himself onto Sven. "Come on! Let's figure out what's causing this!"

Anna rubbed Sven's muzzle as she passed. "Thanks for the save there, Sven! Good boy!" He licked her cheek, prompting a giggle from the redhead. Kristoff considered questioning whether it was appropriate but decided against it as the redhead climbed on behind him.

"Alright, let's do this!"

The trio took off once more, with Kristoff and Sven watching the way ahead while Anna kept her eyes peeled for any signs of distress.

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><p>Rapunzel bit her lip and glanced at her watch. The opening announcement was set to begin at any moment but no one had seen Anna since the early end of the softball game. Mulan and Merida already confirmed she'd been called for a mission, and the trio did occasionally cut it close because of that, but usually Kristoff or Anna would've called <em>someone<em> by now to let them know the King and Princess wouldn't make it, or when they expected to arrive.

Adjusting her hat for something to do, Rapunzel scanned the arena stands, looking for any sign of her friends. She saw plenty of cowboy hats of every size, color, and material- seriously, who wears felt to a rodeo?- and western wear, most corresponding to school colors of the various competitors. Not everyone was required to wear the standard long sleeve button ups, jeans, and boots- it was a rule for the actual competitors but spectators were free to wear what they wished- but every Arendelle supporter was wearing the same outfit with little variation. To the common passer-by, lacking an embroidered name and pins along the collar might not even be noticed.

Still, each student competitor was allowed to wear a tasteful- if unique- cowboy hat and Anna's stood out pretty well on its own, white with the Arendelle logo hand painted by Rapunzel herself, though it was partially obscured by the tiara she wore due to her title. It was nowhere in sight, though, and neither was Kristoff's matching black hat.

As Mulan reclaimed her seat, passing the blonde a paper bowl of nachos, Rapunzel opened her mouth to speak.

The other girl beat her to it. "I just checked; no one's seen them."

With a groan, Rapunzel resigned herself to eating the nachos and waiting. She'd already attended to Maximus, ensuring his tack was set just the way he- and Anna- liked it, even going so far as helping Merida cinch Kristoff's saddle onto Angus. That way, even if they arrived at the last minute, they could both hop into the saddles and make it for the opening ceremony.

_"Ladies and Gentlemen!"_ Rapunzel and Mulan exchanged winces. Too late. _"Welcome to this week's Colorado State High School Rodeo, hosted by the Arendelle High Mountain Dogs." _

"I really hope someone picked up the slack if they haven't made it." Mulan mumbled, popping another chip into her mouth. Rapunzel nodded, watching the entry way beneath the announcer's booth for any sign of the two.

_"We ask that everyone rise as we present the representatives of today's competitors, their school flags, the Colorado state flag, and the flag of the United States of America."_

Setting aside their snacks, Mulan and Rapunzel rose, sparing a glance as Merida jumped into the stands and stood next to Rapunzel, shaking her head at their questioning glances. Each team was called forth, the King and Queen riding in side-by-side, one holding the school flag proudly, making a lap around the arena before coming to a halt in a somewhat jagged line cutting through the center. As usual, each team took the outer most open spot, leaving the center of the arena open for the host team.

_"And finally our hosts for this evening, please welcome Prince of the Arendelle Rodeo Team, Shang Li, holding the Arendelle High Mountain Dog flag."_ Shang charged forth on his white dappled horse as his introduction finished and Rapunzel instantly shifted into pep squad mode, leading the howl with Peter- who volunteered for clown duty this week and was down in the arena for it- as Shang made his round and took his place. _"The Princess of the Arendelle Rodeo Team, Anna Andersen, holding the Colorado state flag."_

The three girls held their breath for a moment before releasing a sigh of relief as Maximus, with a smiling Anna sitting in the saddle, cantered into the arena, their heads held high. Sure, Anna's face and hands were covered in... what looked to be telltale signs of being too close to an explosion or two... but she was there, in one piece, and well enough to ride. She even waved to the stands, guiding Maximus with her knees as she took her lap around the arena to the cheers and howls of her classmates.

They could pester her for details later.

_"And finally, please welcome the King of the Arendelle High Rodeo Team, Kristoff Bjorgman, and the Queen of the Arendelle High Rodeo Team, Jessie Pride, escorting the American flag!"_

A moment later and the two leaders of the rodeo team entered the arena, Sven and Bullseye in perfect step as they carried their riders proudly. Kristoff looked no worse for wear than Anna, though he made less of an effort to smile about it, his left hand firmly holding the flag's staff a few inches below Jessie's right. The ginger was far more enthusiastic as the pair made their trip around the arena. As they reached the last spot, bringing them squarely in the center of the rodeo royalty line and the arena, Kristoff released the flagstaff.

_"Now, please remain standing for the singing of our national anthem." _The students holding their school flag pulled the bottom of the staffs free of the holster, allowing them to tuck the wood under their arms, parallel to the dirt floor of the arena, the cloth swaying slightly in the evening breeze, while Anna canted the state flag forward so only the American flag remained at full height.

Everyone except the flag bearers removed their hats, placing them over their hearts in preparation as the PA system clicked and crackled, switching from the microphone to a recording.

Jessie leaned to her left slightly, whispering through the side of her mouth. "Cuttin' a little close, don'tcha think?"

Anna gave a nervous chuckle, her grip tightening on the staff. "Sorry."

The ginger had to fight to keep from laughing out loud. "Glad yew could make it, Supergirl."

Maximus shifted, flicking an ear back as if to agree with Jessie momentarily, before resuming his rigid stance beneath Anna as the first notes of the national anthem began ringing through the crisp evening air. Anna's voice raised with everyone's as the anthem played, joining her classmates and competition alike. It sometimes struck her how incredible her classmates sounded when they sang; no matter where they were or who was present, when the Mountain Dogs started singing, it was like a professional choir, each voice contributing to the whole, and it was overpowering.

Maybe that's why they rocked every choir competition in the nation _every_ year.

* * *

><p>The lights were still on in the living room, which made Anna happy and sad at the same time. Happy: her parents waited up for her! Sad: it was almost two in the morning and they waited up for her! Trudging up the front steps, Anna opened the door carefully and smiled as she saw both of her parents knocked out on the couch.<p>

Her father was a business man, running his own company from a building downtown, while her mother worked at the local hospital, a doctor of general medicine who seemed to have tabs on the current health of everyone in town. There were probably more specifics to their jobs but they never talked about work around Anna, except for the passing comment, often with the excuse that she needed to embrace being free of responsibilities while she was young so they wouldn't break her spirit as she got older.

When she was younger, Anna thought it was code for: we're part of a top secret government agency and we're protecting you by being vague and mysterious. Nowadays, she could understand not wanting to burden a child with things she couldn't understand; it was hard enough explaining to her parents what _she_ did on a daily basis without getting too many questions in return.

Closing the door slightly louder than she needed to, Anna walked into the living room as her parents startled awake, stretching and yawning. They turned tired but shining eyes on their only daughter, taking in her haggard appearance with bemused smiles.

"Rough day?" Her father, Kai Andersen, nodded towards the 'bum' chair, a beaten and stained piece of furniture than was Anna's or Kristoff's seat, depending on who was less willing to stand or less dirty while the other took a shower.

"You have no idea," Anna said with a laugh, plopping down and relaxing for the first time all day.

"How'd the game go?" Her mother, Gerda, snuggled up against her husband while the two waited for the floodgates to open, so to speak.

They didn't wait long.

"Okay, so, this morning, right, we were playing the Lowerton Lemurs, and you know how their team mostly graduated last year, so we knew this was going to be a pretty easy sweep..." Anna just talked. She was pretty sure if one were to actually write out the words spilling from her mouth, the entire explanation of her day would be one giant run-on sentence that never stopped. Her parents didn't interrupt her, though their eyebrows raised slightly at 'landslides in Washington', 'mad scientist', and 'completely bent on bringing back the Titans of Greek mythology', though her mother obviously had a tough time containing her laughter when Anna re-enacted the flying kick that brought the villain down, complete with sound effects. By the time she reached parachuting to make it in time for the rodeo, the redhead was a little out of breath. "... oh, but, you should've heard the national anthem, seriously, I don't think any school is the world could claim to be half as musically inclined as Arendelle, we're just totally _on_ it when it comes to harmonies, but that's every opening ceremony, and when it was over..." She continued, up through her runs and all the way to the present. "... so, yeah, then I saw you guys were still up and sat down, and now... here we are!"

Her parents laughed fondly, Kai sitting up slightly. "Well, I'm glad the softball game and the rodeo went well. Now, about this Washington business-"

"Daaaaad." Anna groused, removing her hat to run a hand over her hair, wincing at the mud that met her. Shower was definitely a priority tonight.

"Anna," he said carefully, waiting until she looked at him before continuing. "As your father, I couldn't be prouder of the things you've accomplished." His face and tone became a touch more serious. "I just want you to know we worry about you. We didn't know you went to Washington today."

The teen winced again. "My bad, Dad. I just-"

"Got caught up, we know, Sweetheart." Her mother got off the couch to cross the room, pulling her very tired and very dirty little girl into a warm hug. "We just worry sometimes. You said you were going to come home for a nap and you didn't."

Hugging her mother back and wrapping an arm around her father when he joined in, Anna sighed. She couldn't really blame them for worrying though; she occasionally forgot to tell her parents where she was going or how long she'd be gone. After the first few times, they stopped calling the sheriff, but they still worried regardless. "I'm sorry. I'll make sure to call next time."

"You said that last time," her father said, a yawn drawing out the last word. Patting her shoulder, he guided all of them towards the stairs. "We just want you to know Anna, we worry and we love you."

"Love you too," Anna replied, releasing her parents and heading upstairs to grab a quick shower before bed.

* * *

><p>Kristoff and Sven let out twin sighs of relief as home sweet home came into view. It was after days like this that Kristoff really hated living in the 'valley' rather than the town. He lived furthest from the town proper and the school, seeing as the city limit was the furthest fence on the Bjorgman property, and most of the time he didn't mind the privacy until he realized how long it would take him to get home from any event held in town.<p>

"Come on, boy, we're almost there." Kristoff tried lifting his feet a little higher, actually stepping instead of dragging himself closer to home. The reindeer was weary himself, tongue lolling out of his mouth as his head hung low. They were the very picture of exhausted.

Upon reaching the door, Kristoff leaned against the sturdy oak for a moment before turning the knob, thankful it was unlocked; he couldn't even begin to imagine where he'd put his key.

Stumbling through the threshold, Kristoff's eyes went straight for the stairs, Sven trailing behind him and just as eager to go bed. He could always shower in the morning. Sleep; he wanted it now, he _needed_ it now, and it was _so_ close!

Then he heard the collective gasp.

"KRISTOFF'S HOME!"

"No no no no no no!" The blond tried valiantly to scrambling to the stairs but didn't make it halfway before he was bombarded by more bodies than he knew what to do with, bringing him to the ground in a pile of Bjorgman family fun he could've _really_ done without at that moment.

Finally, after his cousins were finished hugging him, his mother drug him to his feet, inspecting her son with a critical eye. "Both eyes, eight fingers, two thumbs, two arms, two legs, all your teeth, looks like you made it back in one piece!"

"Mom, please, can we just not? Please?" Kristoff groaned as his mother, Bulda, continued poking and prodding him.

"Now, Kristoff," she said, drawing far enough away to give him that motherly glare, hands on her hips and brown hair a mess around her shoulders. "We've agreed; you can go off on adventures but when you come back into this house, you take your family's loving concern like a man."

"Yes, Ma'am," he replied, passing a hand over his face as Sven snorted playfully at his cousins, who were busy hugging their reindeer's legs. "I'm fine, Mom, really."

"How'd the rodeo go?"

"It went fine. We barely made it in time. We have a strong team this year though." Kristoff couldn't help the smile as his chest swelled with pride. He wasn't like Anna; he wasn't all about school spirit or any of that, but there was a satisfaction to being at the head of a team and watching them do well. "We made those riders from Berk look like a bunch of city punks!"

"Kristoff!" The boy turned, eyes falling on his grandfather who was carefully teetering towards him with the help of his cane. The older man smiled, eyes twinkling as he nodded. "Remember that conflict is the spice of life, not the body of it. Soak in the camaraderie you share but not at the expense of alienation."

"Yes, Grandpabbie," Kristoff replied, inclining his head slightly in respect to the family patriarch.

"Good... now that Kristoff is home, let's all get some rest. We can hear all about your mission tomorrow." Grandpabbie nodded to himself, turning towards his room on the ground floor while the younger generations started their stampede upstairs.

Kristoff groaned, earning the attention of his mother. "That reminds me." He sighed, looking at the matriarch. "Anna wants me to go to town with her tomorrow to get fighting lessons from Mulan and Mr. Fa. Is that okay?"

"Of course!" Bulda replied, patting her son on the back hard enough to nearly send him to the floor. "Remind her to stop by some time this week, won't you? I haven't seen her in ages!"

"She was just here Wednesday."

"_Ages_!"

Kristoff ran a hand over his face and started towards the stairs. He was too tired to deal with his hyperactive relatives.

* * *

><p>Author's Note: Sorry for the short chapter, y'all, but I wanted to split up Anna's Saturday and Sunday to give an idea of what sorts of insanity this kid puts up with on a day-to-day basis. Next chapter will be Sunday, then we'll switch to see how our favorite villains are spending their off time, and back to the action. Sorry if the start seems a little slow but it serves a purpose, I promise. We're almost done setting up this universe. Almost.<p> 


	5. Secrets in Arendelle

**Disclaimer:** Nope, not owning anything. Just lil ol' me, writing fanfiction because I can, not making a penny off it. Promise.

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><p>The practice room at the Martial Arts Academy was quiet and filled with stale air, slowly becoming warmer with every movement of the occupants. Kristoff was on the verge of complaining about the lack of air conditioning; Anna was too focused on her opponent.<p>

"Are you ready?" Mulan raised a brow, completely at ease in her stance, the quarterstaff held firmly in her hands. Unlike the uniform issued to students at the Academy that more closely resembled the popularized black and white Kung Fu shirt and pants, Mulan's light green outfit was based on a design passed down through her family, secured at the waist with a darker green belt that matched the trim of the shirt. She had her hair up, tied with a matching ribbon to keep the short cut from her eyes.

Anna, weaponless at her own request and decked out in her standard mission gear, merely nodded.

Mulan circled the redhead, keeping her distance.

"Remember, Miss Anna," Mr. Fa said, watching from a chair to the side of the practice mat. "Your opponent will exploit your weakness. You must appear strong even where you are weak."

Anna nodded again, earning a swipe from Mulan's staff. The redhead ducked the attack and jumped away from the follow up, bringing her fists up once more to defend her face.

"That was a warning," Mulan said, face serious despite slight teasing in her words.

"G-good to know." Anna shifted her weight as Mulan reversed, circling the other way.

"Your heart is strong, Miss Anna; allow your words to prove it." Mr. Fa chided. "You must be able to communicate, with your allies as well as your enemies. Say whatever comes to mind and you will learn to say what you mean."

"I'm not scared of a stick." Anna grumbled, ducking a wide sweep of the quarterstaff and launching into a forward roll, pushing off the ground to tackle Mulan.

The other girl was too quick, dodging the tackle and bringing her quarterstaff around and up, knocking Anna's thigh just before the redhead hit the ground and rolled away. Anna scrambled to her feet, wincing at the throbbing pain in her thigh. The hit wasn't hard but solid, and right on her nerve to boot.

Concern flashed in Mulan's eyes. "Anna, maybe we should take a break."

The redhead opened her mouth to protest but Mr. Fa cut her off. "Yes, a break will serve both of you well. Mr. Kristoff, please take the mat."

"Oh, great." Kristoff mumbled, getting up from his spot in the corner. He waited until Anna and Mulan bowed to each other and left the mat before walking on himself, facing the older man. In one hand he held a tonfa, weilding it by the point so it more closely resembled his pick ax. Mr. Fa was using a tai chi sword, drawing it from its scabbard with little ceremony.

As they bowed and Mr. Fa called for the match to begin, Anna and Mulan grabbed some water. The redhead glanced at the clock on the far wall and frowned. They'd started the lessons about four hours ago- with the past hour dedicated to combat practice- and Anna felt like she hadn't made any progress.

Mulan tapped her shoulder, offering a sympathetic smile. "How's your thigh?"

"Just stings a bit. I'll be fine." Anna winced as Mr. Fa's blade sliced through the air, forcing Kristoff to duck. "Sorry I'm-"

"Would you stop that?" Mulan laughed, lightly hitting her shoulder. "You're doing great! Not many people can go in unarmed against an armed opponent and come out with just a sore thigh."

"I just can't get the talking thing down." Anna complained, crossing her arms over her chest. "It just... takes so much concentration."

Mulan remained silent for a moment, watching as Kristoff met a few of her father's attacks. Both of them thought it was weird when the teens requested such... specific practical training but attributed it to their rather unique hobby. After they helped rebuild the Academy three years ago when wildfires tore through the northern end of town, the entire Fa family was all too happy to help Anna and Kristoff whenever they could. Speaking of which, her mother would probably appear with lunch at any moment, if she wasn't busy getting onto grandmother for spoiling Sven. "Anna... is there a reason you want to be able to, uh, 'talk smack' and fight?"

Anna felt a little ridiculous about her word choice- especially since Mulan used air quotes- but focused on acting completely nonchalant regarding her answer. "Well, it's like your dad said, about turning weaknesses into strengths. I just... need to work on my intimidation skills. I'm not very intimidating, that's all."

Mulan raised a brow, obviously not buying the excuse. Given the slight blush tinting the redhead's cheeks, she made an educated guess. "Does it have anything to do with the crush Merida mentioned?"

"She told you?" Anna cringed and hid her face in her hands as a blush crept into her cheeks. "It's nothing, really, just me being silly."

"It's not silly!" Kristoff oh-so-helpfully added, parrying another of Mr. Fa's strikes. "Crushing is a totally okay thing to do!"

The redhead groaned, retreating further into her hands as Mulan rubbed her shoulder soothingly.

"It's okay to have a crush, Anna." Mulan visibly withheld a giggle. "But I don't see how exactly..." She blinked as Anna's shoulder hiked up to her ears. "... oh. You're crushing on one of your enemies, aren't you?"

"And she's totally hot!" Kristoff, again, helpfully added, ducking a swipe and getting a bit of distance.

Mr. Fa brought his sword to his side and bowed to Kristoff, the boy jerkily returning the gesture. "I think I need to... check on how lunch is coming."

As the older man left the room, Kristoff approached the two girls with slumped shoulders. "Your dad's scary quick with that sword, Mulan."

"You should see him when he's actually trying to test you," she replied with a smile, turning her attention back to the blushing redhead. "So, about this crush."

"Both of you are terrible." Anna mumbled, leaning her head back and sighing. After rehashing the last mission against Ice Queen- and providing a condensed version of their interactions leading up to it and verbal torrent at lunch the other day- Anna turned a wary eye to her friends. She hadn't noticed at what point someone had brought them lunch, Mulan and Kristoff halfway through their plates before Anna noticed the one on the ground in front of her.

As she started eating, Mulan and Kristoff exchanged a look.

"I take it you are okay with this?" Mulan set aside her empty rice bowl, focusing on the remnants of her shrimp dumpling soup.

Wiping his mouth on the back of his hand, Kristoff pointed his spoon to accentuate his point. While he and Anna tried learning how to use chop sticks a few years back, Mr. and Mrs. Fa tended to keep a few sets of regular cutlery on hand in case the teens visited. "Look, I know how it sounds, but trust me on this; Ice Queen is capable of a lot more than she dishes out when we rush in to stop The Prince. But when they're in the zone, fighting each other? Poetry in motion!" He swallowed another mouthful of rice. "But let's, for just a few minutes, look at this like 'normal' people-"

"Since when are we _not_ normal?" Anna scrunched up her nose.

"Not even dignifying that with a response besides this: normalcy is overrated," Kristoff said. "Anyway; we see it all the time in movies and stuff, the dashing hero swaying the beautiful evil sidekick into changing her ways. I mean, if Ice Queen seriously goes along with The Prince's plans for any reason other than _she wants him to succeed_- which I really doubt, 'cause then she wouldn't bother holding back- then maybe Feisty Pants over here can, I dunno, give her proper motivation to do something else with her life."

"Weren't you just saying the other day how she's just evil?" Anna immediately wished she'd kept her mouth shut; why was she playing the devil's advocate here?

Kristoff smiled as the redhead realized- all too late- that he'd set her up. "Maybe she is, but Grandpabbie always says-"

"Oh no, Kris, no, do not drop the L word, no no, we are not starting this argument again."

"I believe I'm missing something," Mulan said with a bemused smile, obviously finding their exchange entertaining.

The blond shrugged. "When we were kids, Anna and I got into this really big argument about True Love-"

"I can almost hear the capitals in that sentence, Kris."

"-and, even after all these years, we refuse to see eye-to-eye about it."

"You believe it exists and she doesn't?" Mulan raised a brow, more confused than she was before the explanation.

He shook his head with a laugh. "Other way around, actually, but not quite. I think love is something that's built over time. That love at first sight type stuff? That doesn't exist. You might_hate_ the person initially; it takes time to let them into your heart and to get into theirs."

"And you think...?" Mulan watched Anna until the redhead relented.

"Love is instantaneous. From the moment you meet someone, your heart _knows_ where to stand, but your head gets in the way." Anna bit her lip. "It's like, I dunno- oh!" She smiled. "Remember when we played on that co-ed baseball team a few summers ago?"

"Of course," Mulan replied, leaving out that that summer was when the two became friends instead of just classmates.

"Remember how long it took us to get that breaking ball down? How many times did we have to practice my slider?"

"Hundreds!" Mulan shook her head. "I just kept over-thinking it."

"Exactly!" Anna set aside her empty bowls, her right hand curling as if she was holding a ball. "But it wasn't about you becoming a better catcher or me becoming a better pitcher. It was about us reading each other and you letting your muscles react instead of your head. Our head messes us up when it comes to love too but our heart knows it because it's muscle memory. That's what the heart _does_! Love!"

"So, if I get this straight-" Mulan began, pointing at Kristoff with her chopsticks "-you think love is something people work for over time-" she shifted to Anna "-and you think love is instantaneous and it's our heads that make things difficult."

The best friends nodded.

"Perhaps... it is a bit of both." Mr. Fa chimed in, carrying a tray of tea. Mulan instantly got up, her friends following suit and the four settled down once more, with Kristoff and Anna helping Mr. Fa join them on the floor while Mulan set about pouring the tea. "I forget, sometimes, what it's like to be young. A young person questions what their elder has already accepted."

Anna sighed. "I guess I don't really know anything about love."

"Who does?" Kristoff reached over and put a hand on her shoulder. "My entire family professes to be love experts but I don't know any better than you do. We're both single, after all."

"And we both have crushes." The redhead threw in, hoping to distract her friends.

At Mulan's questioning look, Kristoff merely shrugged. "Don't listen to her; she's trying to trick us."

Mr. Fa laughed, eyes crinkling at the corners as he smiled. "If the opinion of an old man means anything to you, here is what I believe." He cleared his throat, back straightening as it often did when he recited a proverb or relayed critiques during training lessons. "Love is like a river- it can be calm and easy to cross or a raging rapid that destroys what is before it, it can cut through or around any obstacle or be stymied by a dam, and even those who have tread its waters many times may never know all its secrets. It never starts; it never stops. It simply is." His eyes fell on Anna. "When you come to the river, you may not be sure whether you want to wade into the waters. You may find yourself waist deep before you even realize it. After entering the river, you may find yourself on dry land once more. Studying the river is not important." He inclined his head slightly, lifting his tea cup. "Enjoying the water is."

Mulan smiled at the stunned silence hanging between Kristoff and Anna. "Be true to your heart, Anna. If you feel like there may be something there, you should at least test the waters... so to speak."

"Oh, I know exactly how to do it, too," she said with feigned enthusiasm. "Next time I'm ducking a beam of ice, I'll ask if she wants to grab coffee or something. That'll work!" Anna let the facade fall and put her face in her hands, groaning quietly.

"By the way, Mr. Fa, you're being really cool about this," Kristoff said, hoping some time out of the spotlight might help the redhead recapture her composure. It was a long shot but it was worth a try. Except, now he had to find a way to continue without unintentionally insulting the man. "You seem very... traditional..."

Snorting, Mr. Fa raised a brow at the blond. "I suppose that is accurate enough. I might not... understand... homosexuality... but I have known both of you for several years. You both have kinds hearts and that counts for something in my book."

Kristoff and Mulan cringed and tried to preempt the response they knew was coming. They weren't quite quick enough though.

"I'm not a homosexual." Anna massaged her temple, completely unaware of the surprise registering on Mr. Fa's face. "I'm pansexual, and yes, it's totally a legitimate sexuality, and no, it's not the same as being bisexual, I don't get why-" Anna opened her eyes, suddenly remembering her audience.

Total. Space case.

Mr. Fa, in the silence that settled on the group, took a deep breath and let it out slowly. "I... think I'll go pray."

With help from Kristoff, the older man got up and hobbled away, leaving the Academy though the back door to where the house was. Anna was pale from slight horror and Kristoff was just too stunned to say anything. Once the door closed behind her father, though, Mulan jarred both of them out of their shock with a loud, rolling laugh.

"Now I feel like _we_ missed something." Kristoff drawled.

Anna was busy cursing her inability to shut up.

When Mulan had finally recovered enough to speak, she was shaking her head. "Don't worry about Papa; he says he's going to pray any time he finds himself in an awkward situation. It's just his way of not being rude. Come on, Anna, most of town knows you're into girls as much as guys. They just..."

"Don't openly talk about it." Kristoff supplied, a small smile working its way on his lips. "Come on, Feisty Pants, after everything you've done for this town, I'm pretty sure you could waltz down Main right now with nothing but a sombrero and a bottle of Jim Bean and no one would say anything."

"Thank you, Kristoff," Mulan said, massaging her forehead with one hand. "Thank you for that mental image."

Kristoff blinked before he actually thought about what he said, shuddering violently. "Great, now _I'm_ picturing it."

"I don't know whether to be offended or happy that the idea of me mostly naked is inducing this kind of reaction from my friends." Anna rolled her eyes though she was smiling. Her friends were nutcases sometimes. "Maybe we should all try walking down Main like that, see how many different reactions we get."

Kristoff and Mulan looked at each other then; the boy blushed while the girl tried to hold back her laughter.

"And what are you laughing about, exactly?" He crossed his arms over his chest. Both girls busted out laughing at his scowl, stammering apologies until he shook his head and rolled his eyes. "Should we get back to fighting or whatever?"

"Oh no, I am _not_ fighting either of you with those mental images still lingering in my subconscious." Mulan held up her hands in surrender. "Seriously though; both of you have made significant progress. Let's just call it a day."

Anna and Kristoff nodded, helping Mulan gather up the dirty dishes and taking them to the house out back. Anna was careful to avoid meeting Mrs. Fa's gaze as she helped set the dishes in the sink despite getting the distinct impression the older woman was highly amused.

In the end, her mild embarrassment was forgotten almost completely as she and Kristoff fought to pry Sven away from Grandma Fa and her basket of giant carrots. If she hadn't cut her hand on his saddle- which nearly prompted an emotional breakdown on Sven's part, seeing as he was only being difficult to have fun and didn't mean for her to get hurt- they might never have left!

* * *

><p>Anna stopped at her front door, uninjured hand on the knob, and tried to plan the conversation in her head. It... probably wouldn't be <em>too<em> bad on the mortification scale; her parents took the news of her various crushes over the years pretty well.

She just didn't know how they'd handle _this_ one and it made her feel a little childish on top of that. It wasn't that she needed her parents' permission- it was just a crush, and maybe some flirting if she could bring herself to actually flirt without making a fool of herself- but they deserved to know from the source rather than hearing it through the grapevine.

The downside of living in a small town: secrets were nearly impossible to keep.

Opening the door and stepping through, Anna opened her mouth to announce her arrival when her mother appeared with a plate of freshly baked chocolate chip cookies and two glasses of chocolate milk on a tray.

"Perfect timing!" Her mother laughed, indicating for Anna to take the tray. "Rapunzel came by and I told her you would be home soon. She's waiting up in your room, sweetheart. It's been so long since she's dropped by; you should really invite her over more often."

"Uh, okay, but-"

"She seemed... very excited to speak with you, dear." Her mother turned concerned eyes towards her daughter. "Is there something going on at school?"

Well, it wasn't how she imagined she'd start the conversation, but it was an opening. "She overheard Kris and I talking about, um, me having a crush on someone."

"Oh? And who might this lucky suitor be?" Anna's father appeared around the corner, the morning paper held in one hand.

"Uh..." Anna blinked, tempted to laugh and pretend she was kidding while absconding to her room. Very, very tempted. "Remember how I've told you about Ice Queen?" Both of her parents nodded but either didn't grasp the implication or intentionally feigned ignorance. "Well... her. I like her. I think."

Her father frowned. "Isn't she the one with the ice powers?"

"She works with that Prince fellow, right?" Her mother's brows drew together. "Sweetheart, I seem to recall you saying they were, uh, together."

"I don't know that; I just _thought_ that."

"You also don't know her name or much about her at all." Her father pointed out, concern flashing in his eyes.

Anna winced. "Working on the name thing, Dad."

"We're just-" Her mother stopped, exchanging a glance with her husband before they both rested their gazes on their daughter. "We don't mind you having a crush, Sweetheart, even if it's on your arch nemesis."

"We just want to be sure you're aware of the... possible ramifications."

"Ramifications?" The redhead scrunched up her nose in confusion. "Like what?"

"Like you forget Valentine's Day and she freezes you solid." Her father bluntly stated and Anna snorted.

"In my defense, I didn't _forget_ Valentine's Day; I was in the Amazon. Also, Gaston was a jerk, so, point invalid."

"Or miss a birthday." Her mother continued.

"Jasmine forgave me for that."

"Stand up your date."

"School bus in Brazil, Dad; think of the children!"

"Fall asleep during a movie."

"Mom, that wasn't even romantic; Aladdin and I were _just_ hanging out."

"But do you see our point, Anna?" Her father sighed. "You live a very active lifestyle. You need- let me rephrase, you're only sixteen and you should... moderately... try dating in order to find... a suitable... partner who understands what they're getting into it."

Anna raised a brow, crossing her arms over her chest. Sometimes, she was utterly amused by her father's struggle between being protective of his only daughter and being supportive of her. Sometimes.

"What your father is trying to say is this, Anna," her mother said, putting a hand on her shoulder. "Just because this girl wields ice doesn't mean you can't get burned."

"I'm not planning on eloping with her," Anna said, stepping forward to pull her parents into a hug. "I just wanna... I guess, flirt, and, uh, maybe learn a bit about her. Really... get to know her. Try to, anyway."

Kai and Gerda exchanged a look above their daughter's head.

As the three parted, her father gave her a warm smile. "Just... be careful, Anna. I don't want to see my baby girl getting her heart broken by a super villain."

Anna smiled, kissing her parents' cheeks before heading upstairs. She couldn't promise she wouldn't get her heartbroken but she'd be cautious.

She'd try to be.

She'd consider it, anyway.

Who was she kidding?

"Anna!" Rapunzel's voice broke through her train of though, the redhead accepting the blonde's tackle-hug with a laugh. By some miracle, she didn't drop the tray or spill the cups of chocolate milk.

"You should've told me you were coming over!"

They walked into Anna's room, which could only be termed as a disaster zone. Clothes were overflowing from the laundry basket, the desk was cluttered with various homework assignments, and the floor had paths cleared to the bed, door, and closet with various items- spurs, ropes, bats, softballs, gloves, and various knick-nacks she'd received as thank you gifts from people across the world- stacked in heaps.

She needed to at least make an _attempt_ at tidying up today.

Rapunzel plopped into Anna's desk chair while the redhead set the tray on the desk, then sprawled on her bed, sighing deeply as her muscles began to relax. Maybe she'd gotten more out of her lessons with Mulan and Mr. Fa than she thought.

"So..." The blonde began, brown eyes landing on Anna expectingly.

The redhead cringed. "How many times am I going to go over this? It's just a crush!"

"Stop pretending like crushes aren't a big deal," Rapunzel replied, waving off the annoyance in Anna's voice. "It's a cardinal rule of high school to fall in love at least once! This could be your chance!"

"I seem to recall a certain someone mooning over a boy not too long ago," Anna said, pleased that her attempt at redirecting the conversation appeared to work. The blonde was sporting the beginning of a blush as she flashed a nervous smile. "How're things going with Flynn?"

"Uh, about that..." Rapunzel nervously flipped her gigantic braid over one shoulder, running her fingers along the strands. "Actually, can we, uh... talk? About that?"

"Of course, Goldilocks," Anna replied, sitting up slightly to regard her friend. Geez, they hadn't talked for a while, now that Anna thought about it; she couldn't remember the last time she'd used Rapunzel's old nickname! She needed to schedule more time for her friends. "You know I'm always here for you. What's going on?"

Rapunzel sighed, playing with her braid for lack of something to do. "His name's Eugene Fitzherbert."

"Okay. That doesn't sound familiar, so I'm guessing another one of your pen pals?" Anna offered, noticing the wince that briefly passed over the blonde's face.

"No, I mean Flynn, Flynn Rider, the boy from Texas I've been, uh, talking to, his _real_ name is Eugene."

Anna nodded slowly. "Okay... well, I guess that makes sense, using a fake name. I mean, the internet's a scary place."

"Yeah."

Anna waited a minute for the blonde to continue. When the silence continued, she tried prompting Rapunzel. "So... he told you his real name because...?"

"Oh, uh, see, that's the thing I kinda wanna talk about."

Anna waited. Rapunzel wasn't usually this shy. She could ramble just as much as Anna could, in the right circumstances. She just needed some prodding, it seemed. Anna reached over to grab her favorite plush reindeer- a gift from Kristoff for her seventh birthday- and threw it at Rapunzel.

"Hey!"

"Start talking or I'm throwing another one." Anna already had a plush woolly mammoth poised, ready to strike.

"Okay, okay, so, he's moving soon, and he wants us to be honest with each other, so he told me his real name and how he's kind of a geek and how most of those stories he told me were actually from his favorite book." Rapunzel sighed, putting her face in her hands. "Now he wants _me_ to be honest with him and I'm not even honest with my _friends_ but I _really_ like him and I want this to work but I'm so _scared_ Anna!" The blonde sighed, leaning back in the desk chair. "Besides, my parents would _kill_ me if they found out I told someone. But I _hate_ hiding it."

"Hiding what?" Anna tilted her head to the side, the plush falling from her hand. That's when the blonde noticed the bandage covering her palm.

"What happened to your hand?"

"You're changing the subject."

"I'm kinda not." The blonde cringed and Anna decided to humor her, peeling the bandage away.

"It's nothing; cut my hand earlier." Anna blinked as Rapunzel joined her on her bed. "What are you doing?"

"Just... watch." Brown eyes flickered between Anna's hands and her eyes. "And please don't freak out?"

The redhead nodded, allowing her hand to be carefully worked into the blonde's braid. It was a little weird- now that she thought about it, she never really touched anyone's hair before- but remained silent as Rapunzel closed her eyes and began to sing.

She recognized the words instantly but not the melody; the words were embroidered on a piece of needlework in Rapunzel's bedroom, a cute little poem that Anna could never find in any published work. However, as the song continued, Rapunzel's hair began to glow, turning legitimately golden starting at the roots and travelling down the length of the strands.

In her head, Anna was gently reminding herself not to freak out; on her face, she could only convey her absolute shock.

There was a tingling in her palm as the shimmering strands reached her hand, a not entirely unpleasant feeling though it was vaguely ticklish. When the song stopped, so did the glowing, and Rapunzel removed Anna's hand to show not even a trace of the former wound.

Anna stared at her newly healed hand for a moment before looking to Rapunzel.

"So... your hair is magical, huh?"

Rapunzel blinked at the redhead. "Yeah."

"Does it do anything else? Besides healing wounds, I mean." Anna smiled reassuringly and quietly thanked anyone and everyone for making friends with Kristoff in Pre-K. One thing she learned from his family above all else: just roll with it.

"It glows?"

"I saw that," Anna replied, gently putting a hand on Rapunzel's shoulder. "I think it's pretty cool. Is this what you meant when you said magic totally exists?"

"Yeah. I mean, it's nice to hear about someone else with magic powers and stuff. My parents and I..." Rapunzel sighed. "Well, they've always told me how special it is but... if anyone found out..."

Anna pulled her friend into a hug as conflicting emotions fought within the blonde. "Hey, don't feel bad about this, Rapunzel. Your parents are right; if people found out about your hair, they would use you."

"But I could help so many people! Like you do!"

"Whoa, hey, hold up." Anna pulled back, frowning. "Rapunzel! Just because I do what I do doesn't mean you should _ever_ feel bad about keeping your power a secret! I _choose_ to do all that! If you revealed your powers and someone _forced_ you to use them, it's not the same thing!"

"But _every_ movie and book in the history of _ever_ says that-"

"Rapunzel." Anna was a little surprised by the seriousness in her voice. "I'm being serious here! You notice how superheroes always have an alias? Someone they can be to, ya know, _live life_? Magic healing hair doesn't exactly lend to a quiet alter ego. You shouldn't be forced to give up your freedom _just_ because you have magical powers! No one should!" She glanced around the room. "You do a _lot_ of great things just being you, without your magical hair. Not saying you don't have it- what I mean is, you can help people without using your magic. Like when you saved the bake sale last year, or when you finished the entire wardrobe for the theatre in one night last spring, or when you saved that baby iguana- how is Pascal doing, anyway? You don't bring him to school anymore."

"Ms. Mode is super strict about the whole 'no pets' at school thing." Rapunzel explained, a breaking laugh causing a few tears to slip through. "He's doing great, though. He misses you coming over."

Anna bit her lip. "We kinda stopped hanging out as much a year or two ago, didn't we? Is it because I made you feel bad?"

"It's kinda petty in hindsight. It's not like you knew..." She shook her head. "But every time you ran off, I felt so... selfish."

"Goldi-"

"I know, okay? I just... it made me feel guilty so I tried avoiding you. But..."

"You can't avoid anyone in Arendelle." Anna laughed, Rapunzel joining her a moment later. "So... you want to tell Fly- Eugene about your magic hair."

"It's going to come up eventually." The blonde replied, heaving a heavy sigh, a smile touching her lips the moment after. "It's nice to tell someone... I'm just scared."

"Your secret is safe with me, Rapunzel." Anna's face lit up. "Hey, I have an idea! Maybe I can talk to my mom and see if you can volunteer at the hospital! I know it's pretty small but you could start there. Once you're comfortable with it, maybe talk it over with your parents?"

"We haven't talked about it since I was eight." Rapunzel gave a humorless laugh, flashing a genuine smile at the redhead. "So... you're not freaked out by the magic hair?"

"Nope."

"And you're not mad about me kinda avoiding you for the past few years?"

"We'll make up lost time."

"And you don't think less of me for not-"

"Hey, Goldilocks, listen." Anna threw an arm around the blonde's shoulders, shaking her slightly. "I'm not mad, sad, annoyed, or any of that. I understand. We talked about it, so let's go back to being awesome friends again, okay?"

Rapunzel sighed in relief. "You're a really good friend, Anna."

The redhead shrugged. "I learned from my friends; they're the best teachers."

The two laughed before Rapunzel spoke. "So, do you think I should tell Eugene?"

"I... would tell him there's something you can't tell him about just yet, that it should wait until you've actually, ya know, met in real life."

"Oh, did I leave that part out?" Rapunzel giggled. "He's moving to Arendelle!"

"No way! Did he-"

"No! I told him I lived in Colorado but never exactly where. His dad just took a job here with the Sheriff's Department."

"I didn't think Sheriff Smollet was hiring. She and Deputy Arrow have a pretty good handle on things." Anna suddenly hoped the Sheriff and Deputy gave the new officer a full report regarding her hobby. When Deputy Arrow started at the Department, no one told him, and Anna had to explain why she was parachuting into the neighborhood at two in the morning from the wrong end of a handgun. "Still, that's pretty cool!"

"I know!" Rapunzel giggled, clapping her hands together. "You'll meet him, right? I'm kinda nervous about meeting him."

"Kristoff and I will go with you. We'll go to Mr. Oaken's place; he makes the _best_ hot chocolate."

At the mention of chocolate, the two suddenly remembered the cookies and milk, taking their fill while catching up. After only a little teasing, Anna spilled- for the millionth time, it felt like- the information regarding Ice Queen. Of course, the blonde added her vote to Kristoff's and Mulan's, encouraging Anna to flirt.

"Why does everyone think I need encouragement on this?"

"Well, look at your choices in romantic partners," Rapunzel said, prepared to being the list before Anna stopped her, blinking rapidly in confusion.

"Wait, if that's the case, why is everyone _supporting this_?"

"Because this time's different." The blonde replied without missing a beat. "Not just the who and what but how you're acting. You usually go after crushes before any of us even know you have one!"

"I already agreed to do that!"

"Agree harder."

Anna groaned playfully, feigning annoyance. "My so-called friends will be the death of me."

Her communication device started going off, prompting Anna to jump off the bed and answer it. "Mr. Oaken!"

"Yoo hoo!" The burly man waved his fingers. "New mission is good ya? There is big problem in Germany, heavy rains threaten flooding and the Bundeswehr is requesting assistance."

"Oh wow, they've already activated the Bundeswehr? The rains must be really bad. Okay, can you call Kristoff? I'll be good to go in-" Anna looked down, noticing she was still in the mission clothes from earlier "-actually, I'm good to go now."

"I call Kristoff, ya, ride be there in five."

Anna put the device in her pocket, noticing the look on Rapunzel's face. "What?"

"You were hoping The Prince and Ice Queen were involved." Rapunzel let the accusation hang for a moment, giggling at the blush forming on the redhead's face. "Okay, more Ice Queen than The Prince."

"I already regret ever being honest with you people." Anna huffed, grabbing a bag and shoving a spare rope and a few other sometimes helpful items, slinging it over one shoulder.

The blonde laughed and followed her downstairs, hugging the redhead before heading down the street. She called over her shoulder. "Go save the world, Supergirl!"

* * *

><p>By the time the trio arrived, the rain wasn't as severe but it was still pouring, adding to the raging torrents that crashed through a small German town. It was their second trip out as the helicopter was full after the third town, forcing them to return to a make-shift collection point to drop off the people they'd saved. However, as the rain had lessened, the winds picked up, and the pilot was struggling to keep their flight path level.<p>

Anna stood at the open side door, leaning out and squinting against the wind and rain for any signs of people below. Beside her was one of the German soldiers who spoke English fairly well, searching frantically as he argued with the pilot. Kristoff, at the other door, clung desperately to a hanging strap as he inched towards the edge, his other hand firmly wrapped around Sven's harness. Unlike the saddle, the harness was specifically designed for multiple people to grab a hold, in the event the reindeer had better footing- or, in this case, was a better swimmer- than his human charges.

The German soldier growled at the pilot before turning to Anna. "We must go back."

"What?" Anna tore her gaze away from the water below.

"Weather too bad; we crash." The German soldier was obviously trying his best to speak English while reigning in his anger.

Anna nodded resolutely and pulled her backpack from her shoulders. "Kristoff!"

The blond turned, instantly regretting it once he saw the bright orange package she pulled out and threw to him. Shaking out the inflatable vest, he quickly secured it around himself. Anna did the same, pulling out a yellow package before slinging her pack on once more.

"Get ready!" Anna called out, searching the swirling waters below. It was a gamble: they might be over an empty street with ten feet of water to cushion their fall or they might land on a car and break a leg or two.

It was better than giving up.

Suddenly the pilot cursed, the helicopter dipping violently as another strong wind forced them lower.

"Now!" Without a look back, Anna jumped feet first, pinning her arms to her sides, bracing herself as best she could. Once again, her luck held out, and she plunged into the water without hitting anything. She immediately reached up and pulled the cord to her flotation device, fighting the strong current as she kicked for the surface. The moment she broke through, she gasped for air, looking around as she fought to find something to anchor herself.

Sven brayed somewhere to her left and she turned, lashing her arm out and catching his antler in her grip. With a swing of his head, Anna was brought onto the relatively stable footing of a car beneath the water. With the current tugging at her hips, the redhead took a firm hold of Sven's harness with her unoccupied hand and leaned around the reindeer to find Kristoff coughing on the other side. "You okay?"

"Just a little wet!" He smiled, brows furrowing the moment after as he caught movement. Anna switched her hold from Sven's far side to his near one, allowing Kristoff to grab her other wrist and fling himself out, disappearing under the water slightly as Anna stood on the door of the car to give him the best reach. He broke beneath the surface of the water, surfacing again and pulling with all his might as another arm latched onto his. Sven and Anna pulled, heaving Kristoff back onto the car as he pulled the German soldier with him.

Anna looked to the sky but found no sign of the helicopter above them.

"They leave; I stay." The German soldier coughed, shaking himself as a steely resolution filled his eyes. "My home. I stay."

It was a little too late to argue the point so Anna set about pulling the rip cord on the yellow raft. Kristoff, initially reaching for Anna's backpack, stopped and raised a brow.

"Do you feel... like something's beating against the car under us?"

Anna looked over her shoulder at him. "I honestly hadn't noticed."

Taking a deep breath, the blond dove below the water, using Sven's legs to guide him down until he could peek into the car they were standing on through the rear window. Sure enough, two people were trapped inside, frantically beating against the vehicle's roof as the water level within rose. Coming up, Kristoff grabbed his pick ax.

"Anna! There's two people in the car beneath us!"

The redhead nodded, handing the blue cord attached to the raft to the German soldier and moving herself back, keeping a firm hold of Sven's harness.

Diving beneath the water once more, the blond tapped on the back window, garnering the attention of the trapped Germans. When they looked at him, he pushed his hand towards them and they retreated towards the front of the car. He came up and nodded to Anna, who grabbed his belt and held on as he put his entire weight into swinging the pick, breaking through the water with a splash. It took three swings as he fought the current but the glass shattered, water rushing into the car as Kristoff came back up, quickly slipped the pick through a loop on Sven's harness, and used it to hold on while Anna slipped one end of a knotted rope into his hand and dove beneath the water clutching the other end.

Fighting the current and her flotation device, Anna pulled herself below the busted window of the flooded vehicle, helping the two Germans swim through and grab the rope, which they used to guide themselves to up. Through the blurry water, Anna could see the German soldier's boots as he helped his countrymen on top of the vehicle. Using the rope herself, Anna broke the surface of the water and was hauled up all the way by Kristoff.

The immediate problem solved, Kristoff took the raft's rope from the German soldier and put it in Sven's mouth, climbing into the raft carefully to stabilize it before motioning the Germans on. Anna was the last the enter the craft, positioning herself at the front of the raft while Sven and Kristoff remained at the back.

In the distance, they could see the high ground- hills that carved up the German countryside- and decided to head for it for lack of a better plan. With slight trepidation, Sven entered the current, conserving his energy as best he could and allowing the current to take them down the street.

From her backpack, Anna pulled two extendable oars and passed one to Kristoff, the two focusing on keeping them heading straight down the middle of the town's main road.

As they entered the outskirts, Anna caught sight of a woman and two children clinging to the roof of a low house. For the most part, those in two story homes and above would be okay, but the one story house already had water lapping at the roof's corners. If the rain continued, the three would be swept away with the storm.

"Kristoff!" Anna called out, pointing towards the roof in question.

"On it!" The two worked in tandem to steer while Sven his his best to assist, pushing the raft towards the house. However, the reindeer found himself caught on a fence before they could really get close enough and brayed through his teeth, desperately fighting the current. Luckily, he fetched up against another submerged car before the current could sweep him away completely. "Anna! This is as far as we go!"

The redhead grimaced, judging a good twenty feet to the house. Okay, fine, she could work with that. Handing off her oar to the soldier, Anna dug through her pack and pulled out her rope, calling for Kristoff's pick ax. Tying the rope to the pick, Anna wound up, careful not to hit any of the raft's occupants with her swing- or puncture the raft, because that would definitely make things more difficult- and let it loose.

The metal of the pick clinked along the ceramic of the shingles, nearly making it over the crest of the roof. Unfortunately, the rope wasn't long enough and it began to slide down but one of the children ran over, grabbing the pick and looking towards Anna, his eyes wide.

"Tell him to hold onto it, tight!" She told the Soldier, shedding her backpack and flotation device, handing her end of the rope to him. "Don't let go, okay?"

"You climb across?" He asked, concern flashing through his eyes.

Anna shook her head before diving into the water. The current was strong but, with full use of her arms and legs, Anna was able to cross half the yard before breaking the surface, though she would get swept past the house if she couldn't get there soon. Pouring all her energy into swimming, Anna flung herself up and barely grasped the last shingle on the house.

Geez, that was close.

Gritting her teeth, the redhead swung herself towards the roof, fighting her own weight, the strength of the current, and every other force trying to push her back into the water in order to scramble onto the roof. Once she was there, she hurried to the other side, where the two boys and their mother waited, huddled next to the chimney.

This was going to be the tricky part and not just because of the language barrier.

Gently taking the pick from the boy, Anna motioned for the mother to take the larger son, carefully positioning the boy so he could wrap his arms around his mother's neck, legs around her body, and motioned for the woman to pull herself and her son, hand over hand, towards the raft.

Her eyes were filled with uncertainty but Anna smiled. "Trust me. You can do this."

Whether or not she understood the redhead, the woman nodded and slowly descended the roof, pulling herself across as Anna had shown her. The soldier and Anna had their respective ends wrapped around their arms, firmly holding the rope as the current fought to sweep the woman away. After an agonizing minute, the woman was within arms' reach and the soldier lunged forward to grab her, the other two Germans assisting in pulling the mother and son into the raft while Kristoff and Sven worked to prevent it from capsizing.

Anna sighed in relief and turned to the smaller boy, a gentle smile on her lips as she picked him up and held him with one arm firmly around his tiny waist. With the other, she gathered up as much slack as she could from the rope, and ran towards the edge of the roof at an angle, aiming for a spot further upstream than the raft was.

She got pretty close and quickly started pulling in as much slack from the rope as she could while she was underwater, fighting for the surface faster than she would've if it was just her. The moment she broke through, the boy in her arms began crying.

"I'm sorry, I really am," she said, pulling on the rope as the current began to take her. She couldn't risk swimming towards the raft and allowing the boy's head to fall beneath the water; she had to hold onto the rope and wait for it to grow taut, swinging her towards-

Yep, that annoying twinge would be her ankle fetching up against the fence. Now, all she had to do was- there, one foot was on top of the fence, a solid wood fence it felt like. Using the rope as a guide of sorts, Anna walked along the top of the fence, still fighting the current with every step.

"Sven, get ready!" Kristoff called, reaching forward and grabbing the soldier's shoulder. "When I say go, pull the rope in, quickly! Don't let it go slack!" Hoping the man understood him, the blond turned back to the reindeer. "Slowly!"

Sven inched out from behind the vehicle as slowly as he could, allowing the raft to ride alongside the fence line. With the line taut, Anna was able to continue advancing but there was a still good four feet between them and her arms were getting tired. The moment her eyes locked with Kristoff's, she nodded.

"Go, Sven!"

The reindeer surged out from behind the car as Anna all but jumped for the raft, protecting the child as much as she could as she fell into the adults who grabbed her and waited a few moments as the raft threatened to buckle before letting go.

The boy immediately flew to the soldier's waiting arms, tears joining the rain running down his face as he pulled the woman and the other boy to him. His eyes met Anna's as a smile came to his lips.

"Your family," she said. He nodded before burying his face in his wife's hair. Anna watched them a moment before turning to Kristoff and Sven.

"What is with us and roofs this weekend?" Kristoff joked, earning a laugh from Anna.

"I know, right?" Shaking her head, she reach out and patted Sven's head. "Thanks guys, that was perfect."

The blond playfully rolled his eyes. "Thank us when we're out of this mess."

* * *

><p>It was nearly four in the morning by the time she made it to her door, still sopping wet and talking to Mr. Oaken.<p>

"He really deserves it."

The man laughed, nodding along. "Okay, okay, I order the treats. Sven did good, he gets reward."

"He did better than good; I don't know what I'd do without him and Kristoff, and you. Thanks again, Mr. Oaken." Anna stepped into her house, noting the lights were off. She'd called her parents before boarding the special jet that brought her home, to ensure they weren't staying up late on her account. They both had work tomorrow and she was at least able to sleep on the plane.

"Is no trouble. Thank you, Anna. Have good night."

"You too." Pocketing the device, Anna made her way to her room and stripped off her soaked shirt and pants, heading straight for a nice, hot shower. If she got through it quick enough- which she probably wouldn't- she might even grab a nap before school!

The moment she stepped under the spray, Anna sighed in relief.

All in all, a pretty calm weekend.

* * *

><p>Author's Note: Thanks to everyone who's followed, faved, read, and reviewed this. I hope y'all can bear with me another couple chapters for the Elsanna to start kicking in because, hey, that's what we're all here for, right? Special thanks to lauraknatt and only-looking, for giving me inspiration and putting up with my insanity respectively. A few notes: not going to lie, I had most of what's posted written prior to 25 Oct... and then Homestuck updated, my soul was crushed, and my work schedule changed which limited my free time. Writing has been a bit difficult since. Also, spending the next week in Las Vegas because my buddy decided I was going with him (yeah, I had no choice in this) on his vacation. This <em>shouldn't<em> disrupt the update schedule but... well, no promises and don't shoot me. Please? Thanks.

Also, you have _no idea_ how badly I wanted to call this chapter "Sunday SUNDAY Sunday".


	6. The Prince's New Plan

**Disclaimer**- I don't own a-n-y-t-h-i-n-g, really. I swear. Also, vocab lesson. In-terror-net: Used in KP fanfics to denote an internet-like web entity that serves villains and those with villainous intent. I honestly thought it was canon until I double-checked because I've spent far too much time reading KiGo fics.

* * *

><p>The Palace was quiet save for her footfalls as she walked the halls. She scrubbed at her eyes, trying to force herself to remain awake despite the urge to crawl back into bed. She hadn't slept well the past two days, plagued by silly nightmares she couldn't shake. She was a little surprised Hans hadn't tried checking on her given the slight disturbances her fits caused in the Palace's structure but guessed he was showing rare consideration for her well-being by staying away. At times like these, only Olaf and Marshmallow could bring her comfort, seeing as they were the only two beings on the planet she could never actually harm unintentionally. If she hadn't woken to find Olaf gone, she might've remained locked in her rooms for yet another day.<p>

When she finally rose to greet the day, tired of lying in bed and watching the sun climb through her balcony, Marshmallow was there, curled up in his corner and brooding just as she was. It sometimes worried her how accurately he reflected her own emotions back at her; other times, it merely made her feel childish.

But the larger snowman shrugged when she asked after the smaller one, which worried her slightly. Olaf liked to go on 'quests'- from what she gathered, they were little adventures through the Palace he entertained himself with whenever Hans and Elsa were off 'trying' to take over the world- but ensured at least Marshmallow knew where he'd gone to prevent Elsa from causing an accidental blizzard. Again. For as innocent and naive as the small snowman was, he was surprisingly considerate of Elsa's feelings and rarely repeated an action that would cause her distress. Therefore, him wandering off without a word was mildly concerning but, after a moment of concentration, she could feel the slightly dislocated flicker of her powers that constituted the little snowman somewhere above her.

With only a hint of reluctance, the blonde left the safety of her rooms, drawn to the flicker of her powers. The closer she came, the stronger she could feel him, and it didn't take long for her to figure out which room he was in; what they jokingly called the Oven room was the only room within the Palace not constructed by Elsa's powers. It housed the main electronics they used, like the computer and a large TV with a few gaming consoles tucked underneath- things that wouldn't appreciate low temperatures and occasionally melting water.

Upon finishing her ascent to the floor in question, the blonde could hear Hans' voice echoing softly down the hall through the propped open door.

She wasn't angry- okay, that was a lie, she _was_ still a little sore over the whole Cheyenne Mountain fiasco, seeing as she was still losing sleep over it. Yet... well, it wasn't _all_ bad. Getting a little up, close, and personal with the redhead counted for something- as pathetic as that sounded in her own head- and she would have to forgive him eventually. All in all, they'd faced closer encounters on their various mad adventures, but this one came with a pretty agreeable upside.

She just hoped he actually learned his lesson this time around.

Pulling open the heavy door to the climate controlled room, Elsa poked her head in first. Hans was seated at a long table with several books strewn across the top, a few stacked off to one side while the rest lay in an unceremonious heap on the other, a dozen or more sitting on the floor beside the redhead. Except, rather than being the scientific kind Elsa expected, they appeared to be...

"Are those _my_ books?" Elsa entered the room, garnering the attention of both occupants. Hans gave her a slightly apologetic smile.

"Sorry, Elsa, I meant to ask you about borrowing them. I'm using them for research."

"And I'm helping!" Olaf waved from the chair set in front of the computer, causing it to swivel slightly from the movement.

"Oh?" Elsa fought to keep her expression calm. She didn't mind Hans borrowing her books- though she couldn't imagine why- but she sincerely hoped they were from the main bookcases in the Cave and not the chest in her room. "What sort of research?"

"Well, I am combing through your outstanding assortment of romance novels and Olaf is utilizing a program I found on the internet to locate further information on our persistent adversaries." Hans grinned, picking up another book and starting to flip through it.

Elsa rolled her eyes, a smile touching her lips as she jokingly replied: "A program called Google, by any chance?"

Confusion flashed in the redhead's eyes. "How'd you know?"

It took all her will power not to slap her hand to her face in exasperation.

Hans was too busy turning his attention to Olaf to notice the quietly suffering blonde's expression. "Olaf, type in 'find information on Anna the redhead and her blond boy sidekick'."

Elsa's willpower ran out and she groaned into her hand. "Hans, Google doesn't operate on commands. You search based on keywords."

"You know how to use the program?" Hans' brows furrowed in confusion before he broke out into a wide smile. "Would you like to help us? I promise, Elsa, this plan is my best yet!"

"Are you telling me you haven't even _tried_ finding information on those kids before today?" Elsa grumbled, standing beside Olaf as he turned his attention back to the screen. From the way the little snowman was smiling, she had the feeling he was more capable of finding the information on his own and was just playing along for Hans' sake. She might as well play along too.

"They were minor annoyances." Hans replied flippantly, setting another book in the disorganized heap. "I thought they would give up after the first few appearances. Besides, I had no reason to know anything about them until now."

Giving up further questioning as a lost cause, the blonde turned her full attention to the search bar. "Olaf, type in Anna, Kristoff, reindeer, and high school." Elsa shook her head, pointing towards the screen as the snowman typed. "No, Kristoff is spelled k-r-i-s-t-o-f-f."

"That's an unusual spelling." Hans mumbled, turning another page before giving up and setting the book aside, grabbing another from the stack. Luckily, he was so engrossed in the books he missed Elsa's cringe and Olaf's comforting smile. "Elsa, why do so many of your books contain romantic entanglements between _two women_?"

"Is there a problem with that?" The blonde's voice held a biting edge that her friend neglected to notice, though Olaf gave her a calming pat with one of his twig arms after starting the search.

"The problem is I need books regarding the romantic entanglements between a man and a woman and so few of these books have it!" The redhead groused, setting yet another book aside. "How am I supposed to research the workings of a relationship when I don't have sufficient information pertaining to it?"

The blonde blinked in surprise, curiously glancing at the snowman beside her. He merely shrugged, pointing at the screen. Elsa looked at the links- unlike Hans, she'd had the presence of mind to do a little research of her own after submitting her request for assistance in stopping Hans' first world domination attempt, and further research after the third and fourth times- and indicated the fourth link on the results page.

It was the Arendelle High School website, which had the least in terms of minutia regarding the trio of do-gooders but would hopefully satisfy her friend. The top return was the official site advertising the redhead's services as an 'assistance provider' while the third was fan owned and operated and... very, very creepy, in Elsa's opinion. The second was Wikipedia. Those three contained far too much personal information for her liking, especially to put in Hans' hands.

"I can't imagine it would be difficult." Hans continued, thumbing through another tome. "But I'd still like a good frame of reference for gaining the romantic affections of a girl. You know, wooing her."

"W-why are you looking into that sort of stuff anyway?" She winced at her stutter.

To some extent, she'd anticipated having this conversation one day but had hoped Hans' bid for the world would continue to distract him. She wasn't stupid; for all their pretense to the contrary, Elsa and Hans were still a few months shy of being twenty and just as immature as the two kids who constantly foiled Hans' attempts. And teens... well, she had far too many books that essentially said the same thing: that teenagers were extremely amorous, especially teen males. Seeing as she was the only female he had consistent contact with...

Wow, she _really_ didn't want to have this conversation right now.

Or ever, actually. Yeah, ever.

"Aha!" Hans sat forward, deeply interested in the book he was holding. "This might help." He suddenly looked up, as if remembering Elsa's question. "Oh, right, this research is for my latest plan to stop those kids from stopping my _next_ plan to take over the world!" He paused, looking off into the distance for a moment as he muttered to himself. "In hindsight, incorporating measures to stop those kids might've helped immensely before..." he shrugged, returning his attention to the book "...but what's past is done. This is the way forward!"

Elsa tried valiantly not to let her relief show on her face. She was marginally successful, leaning back against the computer desk and crossing her arms over her chest. Olaf, seeing he wasn't involved directly in the conversation, was entertaining himself by clicking around the website and looking at all the pictures. "Care to explain?"

"Here's how I figure it," Hans said, shuffling a few books before finding a notepad filled with his elegant, though hasty, writing. "Every plan I concoct, every plot I painstakingly craft, is always foiled by one constant: those kids and the reindeer. So I figure, if I can split them up- make their relationship so unbearable they can't stand each other- then they won't be coming to stop us together! I've looked at it from all angles; if it's just the girl or the boy, even if the reindeer comes no matter what, I think we can handle it. As it stands, they outnumber us, so it's best to divide the group so we can finally complete one of my other ingenious ploys."

Elsa remained quiet a moment, pretending to read over the information Olaf was scrolling through: an old article regarding the rodeo team. At the top of the page- which he helpfully returned to once he noticed Elsa's feigned interest- was a picture of the then freshmen, smiling as they received a crown and tiara from their classmates, the reindeer lolling his tongue out in the corner of the shot.

Her lips quirked into a lopsided grin; Anna looked pretty cute in the blue button down she was wearing, white at the cuffs and shoulders, beaming in excitement. She could pull off the cowgirl look really, really well. Beside her, Kristoff smiled just as wide, and even she had to admit the blond boy cleaned up well. They looked... inseparable.

"You really think you can split them up?" Elsa turned her attention to Hans, her voice even.

He shrugged. "Seriously, how hard could it be?" He indicated the small stack set aside from the rest. "Most of these are about people who meet each other and have to overcome obstacles and misunderstandings in order to be together, quite a few seem to entail established relationships overcoming obstacles and misunderstandings in order to remain together, and the rest focus on how a female with multiple male prospects must choose between them. I imagine part of the draw is whether or not the relationship will exist- or remain, as the case may be- so these sort of disturbances _must_ pose some semblance of a real, understandable problem to the reader and _must_ give enough doubt as to the turnout to be engaging."

Let it never be said that Hans didn't understand formulas, mathematical or otherwise.

"So, all that's needed is to increase the drama, so to speak; exacerbate the problems themselves and their frequency and multitude and presto! Destroyed relationship." He thumbed through one of the books. "It helps that, apparently, most people don't seem to favor their ex-partners too heavily and they're a couple of kids besides, so I doubt Anna will stay with Christopher-"

"Kristoff." Elsa and Olaf corrected in unison.

"Whatever- I don't see them working with each other to stop us if their relationship is ended. It's perfect!"

Elsa regarded her friend, two sides raging within her head.

If she was being completely honest with herself, she really didn't mind this slight detour from the typical 'take over the world' fare. Anna being single? Yeah, absolutely, she could totally live with that. Just the prospect made her uncomfortably giddy... and therein lay the problem. Unlike Hans, she'd actually read all those romance novels and, if what she read was any indication, the severance of a committed, long term relationship wasn't something a person just _got over_ easily. It was typically a long, painful process. She couldn't bear to be the cause- even if tangentlially- of that kind of emotional pain for the redhead. Hans might have no problem with it but her heart wouldn't let her, even if her head was totally ready to hop on board.

Just once, she wished _she_ could be the singularly fixated, unapologetic, selfish one in their friendship. Just once.

The blonde sighed, scrubbing at her eyes again. Being the responsible one sucked. "Hans, this could really come back to bite you. If either of them find out-"

"That's the beauty of it: they never will!" He gestured to his notes again. "This is foolproof, Elsa. We start by introducing multiple suitors-"

"We? Why do you keep dragging _me_ into this?" Elsa massaged her temple. He was making it really difficult to play the voice of reason here.

Of course, he continued without registering her objection. "-then, as she begins paying further attention to the suitors, we begin to throw little wrenches into their relationship, sow confusion between them, make them fight, until it all comes to a head!" He gestured to the computer screen. "Now that we have information on where they live, what school they go to, and where they'll be, all it will take is a few cleverly placed individuals with directions and the promise of a fat paycheck awaiting them. All the while, we sit here in the Palace and just watch it all unfold." He scratched at his chin. "Although, we'll need to stage a few plots during this whole process; can't have them noticing our absence and attempting to blame us for their problems."

Elsa pursed her lips. "Hans-"

"Anyway," Hans continued, again oblivious to Elsa's objections. "I don't see how it _won't_ work." He picked up a particular book. "This one, with the protagonist dealing with multiple love interests? The poor girl is in constant emotional disarray because of it- she sinks into a horrible depression, makes bad decisions, it's a bit sad really."

Curse her fascination with supernatural romance. "Twilight is probably not-"

"And besides, Anna is a pretty girl, beautiful-"

"HANS!" This time her outburst stopped the redhead in his tracks, curiosity written across his features at the clear irritation in her voice. She wanted to _forbid_ him from ever mentioning the redhead in that context ever again, an irrational spike of jealousy adding to her annoyance. Searching for something else- anything else- to cover her anger, Elsa said the first thing that came to mind. "You- you're targeting her."

"Well, yes, it just seemed..." He trailed off, eyes glazing over as several things flew through his mind. Elsa doubted any of them were good, a hunch that was confirmed when his face lit up. "Elsa, you're a genius! We'll target the boy too! With your help-"

Elsa screamed into her hands, muffling the sound only slightly.

"-we'll have both of them chasing new, false relationships! That's magnificent!"

"Hans, can we take a moment to talk about this?" Elsa's brows were furrowed. "You're suggesting personally attacking a couple of kids."

"It's a means to an end, Elsa," Hans said with a shrug. "If it's that big a deal, then when I've taken over the world, I'll send an emissary to let them know that their problems aren't as bad as they think and they'll get back together. Or I'll throw them into a cell together and they can make up. Simple."

"Love is never simple." Elsa shot back. "And this is officially past my tolerance for your antics."

"But it'll work!" Hans whined and indicated his notepad. "I have it all, right here!"

Elsa snatched the notepad from his hand, reading through the steps he'd lined out. She turned a quizzical eye on him. "You're starting with writing a love letter?"

"Of course!" He spread his arms, like it was the most obvious thing in the world. "A secret admirer showering her with compliments; that's enough to get any girl blushing and thinking of other possibilities, right?" Hans crossed his arms over his chest, immensely proud of himself. "It's got all the workings of romance: mystery, adoration, opportunity."

"Stupidity, insanity-" Hans glowered at her. "Hans... we're in the middle of the Canadian wilderness... how are you going to _mail a love letter_?"

"Well, you're going to take it to town, of course."

"I really need to sit you down and redefine what I meant when I said I would help you." Elsa sighed, glancing back at the list. "And you're going to hire boys to flirt with her?"

"And girls for the boy, I suppose." Hans pulled the notepad from her hand and started jotting down more notes. "You can handle the letter to the buffoon, correct?"

At this point, Elsa was finished trying to hide her irritation. "Do you even _know_ how to flirt with a girl, Hans?"

"Tell her she's pretty."

"She'll think you're shallow."

"Compliment her clothing."

"She'll think you're superficial."

"Uh, her... eyes?"

"Do you even know what color they are?"

"Red, right?"

"That's her hair."

Hans paused and threw his hands up. "Okay, fine, it's harder than I thought. Gee, girls are confusing."

Elsa sighed. "Tell me about it."

Scratching at his cheek momentarily, he snapped his fingers. "I've got it! You'll write the letter to Anna."

"Me? You want _me_ to write a love letter to Anna?"

"You seem to understand girls better than I do. Why not?"

"Then you're writing the note to Kristoff because I have little idea how _your_ mind works, forget trying to understand another boy's." Deciding she liked the arrangement far better now, Elsa turned, gave Olaf a brief hug he eagerly returned, and started striding towards the door. She didn't believe it would _work_, of course, but it was a welcome distraction from escaping explosions every other month. "When do you want them mailed?"

"The next time you go to town for supplies." Hans flipped to a clean page in his notepad. "I should have mine done in a few days or so. Oh, and don't pull out the big guns yet; we're going to keep this going for a while."

"Whatever you say," Elsa replied, sighing as she left the room.

Hans looked up once she left, leaning back slightly in his chair. He was still treading on thin ice- pardon the pun- with his best friend and he really had no idea what he could do to fix it. He thought this would certainly help, given the two wouldn't need to be directly involved once the first phase was complete, but it only seemed to anger her again.

Maybe it was one of those girl things she absolutely refused to explain to him.

Hans glanced at Olaf. The computer was making faint sounds but they were unfamiliar, much like the images flashing on the screen, causing the redhead to furrow his brows in confusion. "What're you doing over there?"

"Playing a game!" The snowman said over his shoulder. "I made my character just like Elsa!"

Hans stood up and went over to watch the screen from a better vantage point. Peering over the snowman's head, he frowned. "I don't get it. What's going on?"

"Well, I already beat the game's main storyline, so I'm going back and finishing all the side quests! Right now, I'm doing the Dark Brotherhood missions, so I have to hide in the Night Mother's coffin." Olaf maneuvered the camera towards a crypt like thing in the corner of a weird room, clicking on it to open it.

What Hans saw within gave him sufficient reason to balk.

"How is that Elsa?" He glowered at the slightly confused snowman.

Olaf blinked at him. "That's the Night Mother, silly! My character is Elsa, see?" He switched from the first person view to the third person, swinging the camera around to show a rather detailed, computer generated rendering of the blonde, down to her signature braid. Hans was slightly impressed; he didn't know people- snowmen, much less- could do that with computers. "You're in here too! I put you as the housecarl in Whiterun, so I can take you with me when I go riding across the plains." Olaf frowned. "I couldn't change the voice acting though... but your character looks really good, I promise!"

Hans blinked, face contorting. "What? How?"

"Wow, you really don't know anything about computers, do you?"

"_I_ stay on the in-terror-net, where it's safe!"

Olaf glanced at him briefly, giggling as he continued doing... whatever it was. "All I did was-"

"Nope, no, I don't care," Hans said as the screen- which had gone dark for some reason- suddenly flared with a red light as the supposed 'Night Mother' lit up in an eerie red glow and he decided to save his sanity for more important endeavors. "Do whatever you want, Olaf. It's fine. I'm going back to my letter now."

The snowman shrugged and continued playing his game, engrossed in the story again once Hans settled in his chair. He loved going on quests!

* * *

><p>Returning to her room, Elsa set out to make one thing empirically clear before bothering with Hans' stupid letter idea. "Marshmallow."<p>

The large snowman stood up, lumbering over to Elsa as she made her way to her closet.

"Who's allowed to touch this?" She indicated the chest tucked against the back wall, to which the snowman replied by pointing an icy finger at Elsa. "And if Hans or Olaf try to touch this chest?" Marshmallow roared, eyes glowing a fierce blue as spikes erupted all over his form. Elsa sighed in relief. "Thanks, Marshmallow."

She reached up, meeting him halfway for a hug as his spikes receded. He wasn't as fond of hugs as Olaf but the larger snowman appreciated them all the same, carefully wrapping his large limbs around Elsa's much smaller form. After ending the hug, the snowman lumbered back to his spot in the corner with a smile on his large face while Elsa went to her desk, producing a notepad of her own from one of the drawers.

For one thing, this whole idea was silly. Unlike Hans, she'd dug up everything she could on the trio out of curiosity long ago and there were certain glaring facts that Hans was completely forgetting.

Like, how Kristoff and Anna have known each other practically all their lives and probably worked past several bouts of jealousy and such trivial concerns long ago.

Like, how they lived in a small town, to the point where any newcomer is going to garner attention and a little suspicion, especially a newcomer who starts messing with a specific person, the darling of the town no less.

Like, how there was a marked difference between fiction and real life, and trying to base assumptions and draw theories from fiction would eventually lead to some sort of disconnect which would, of course, result in the plan failing.

Like, how they were probably two of the least suitable people in the _world_ to try and woo anyone, sincerely or not.

However, this stupid notion came with an upside: Hans wasn't going to actively try for world domination until his 'foolproof plan' worked. Essentially, that meant less stress over what to do if he happened to succeed and less concern over where he might choose to stage his 'fake' attempts. She doubted any more military bases were in her immediate future, at any rate, so that was good news.

Elsa chewed on the eraser end of her pencil in thought. She would've preferred pen but, given ink had a tendency to freeze at a certain temperature, graphite would have to do. Plus, rubber was kinder on her teeth than plastic, and she was a feeling she would need something to worry in the time being.

Mainly because she was _seriously considering_ writing the anonymous love letters with utmost sincerity.

Which was just as stupid as Hans' plan.

So stupid, she couldn't imagine why she was taking it so seriously.

Or why her heart clenched and her face flushed at the thought that she could actually be honest on paper without giving any indication of who she was.

Setting the pencil down, Elsa crossed her arms over her chest and sighed. She couldn't do this, not right now. She'd worry about the letter later; right now, there was something more concrete- and less personal- to concentrate on: getting the damn things mailed.

That couldn't be too terribly difficult. Buy some sort of postage, drop it off at the post office in the town, make it quick, and she'd be done. That part was easy and not nearly as distracting as she needed it to be. She didn't even need to include a return address- she shouldn't, in order to keep the whole 'secret admirer' thing going. It would probably be beneficial to Hans' ploy to not include one anyway, to bolster the ruse.

But the idea of getting a letter _back_, even if it just said 'you're kinda creepy, please never do this again'... that would really sting yet it would be kinda worth it, too.

"Great, now I'm a masochist." Elsa grumbled, picking up her pencil again.

Whatever; if there was one thing novels _did_ teach her, it was how to be unapologetically sappy and dramatically adoring.

Not that she needed much help in that department.

* * *

><p>Hans stroked his sideburns, glaring at the notepad before him. After being distracted by whatever madness Olaf was up to on the computer for the fifth time, he'd retreated to his quiet lab in order to concentrate fully, bringing the small collection of books that proved useful to him along and leaving the rest for Olaf to return.<p>

It was risky, borrowing Elsa's books, but Hans had given Olaf strict instructions to only take the ones she didn't read often, leaving her favorites alone. The blonde hadn't demanded them back though, so he was probably safe on that for the time being. He just needed to ensure he didn't damage the books any. Most of them were hardback so, really, that wouldn't be a problem.

What _was_ a problem was this damn letter. The books were absolutely useless when it came to wooing a man; they all had female protagonists! Which made sense, given they were Elsa's books, but still, was there not a market for male protagonist romance novels? There should be, just for cases like this.

"How would a girl woo a man?" Hans allowed the question to hang in the air before his eyebrows lifted. "How would a girl woo me?"

He got up and went to the far wall where Elsa made a section as reflective as a mirror, per his request, and looked at his reflection. He studied himself: turned left and right, passed a hand through his hair, smoothed out his jacket, his pants.

In nearly every book, a fair amount of text was dedicated to describing the physical attributes of the romantic prospect. Granted it was from the perspective of a woman, but men liked having their physical features praised too, right? He liked it when Elsa told him he looked dashing in his princely garb. It boosted his confidence. Surely Christopher would appreciate the same, right?

"Hans?"

He turned, seeing Olaf standing at the door to his lab, a stack of papers held in his twig hands.

"Yes, Olaf?"

The small snowman looked between the redhead and his reflection a few times before shrugging and waddling over, the papers held out as an offering. "I thought these might help!" Hans took the papers, thumbing through them with a raised brow. "Since you're writing him a letter, I thought it would be good to have some pictures and his name and stuff, so you can use them for reference!"

Smiling, Hans bent down and gave Olaf a hug. Elsa often chided him about not hugging the smaller snowman enough, though she didn't mind so much that he preferred to stay as far away from Marshmallow as possible. He didn't quite understand the relationship Elsa had with her creations and found trying to pry too deeply usually resulted in Elsa leaving or Marshmallow coming to join the conversation and Hans promptly absconding.

"Thank you, Olaf." Hans ushered the small snowman out before returning to his chair, looking at the picture of _Kristoff_ with a slight frown. "He still looks like a buffoon." Shrugging, he set the picture next to his notepad and got to work, a small smile on his lips. "No matter; I am a _master_ of flattery."

* * *

><p>Olaf laughed to himself, shaking his head slightly as he neared Elsa's rooms. He'd already delivered the helpful information packet to Hans, set all Elsa's books back in their places, and beaten the Dark Brotherhood questline! All he had left was to drop off the papers in his hand to Elsa and then... he could hang out with Elsa!<p>

That was always the best part of his day.

As he reached the door, Olaf reached out to push it open, only for Elsa to do so with a smile.

"Hey Olaf. Done with your adventure already?"

"Yeah!" The little snowman laughed, hugging Elsa before holding out the papers in his hand. "Here, I brought you these to help with your letter!"

The blonde took them, shuffling through the papers with climbing eyebrows. "I... don't understand."

"Well, I figured it was easier to write a letter to someone when you can look at a picture of them!" He explained, patting Elsa's leg. "She looks really nice! She smiles a lot."

"She does," Elsa replied, a smile of her own touching her lips. She took the pictures Olaf gave her and put them on her desk next to the notepad. Her fingertips brushed her pencil, causing it to roll slightly, before she turned away from it. "Olaf, Marshmallow." Both snowmen regarded her as she nodded towards the balcony. "Would you like to go play?"

Olaf cheered and raced to the balcony while Marshmallow nodded and lumbered over, Elsa chuckling at the radically different reactions. The trio slid down one of Elsa's ice slides to the snow before the Palace and immediately set about setting up one of their favorite games.

It started with Elsa summoning a city of ice sculptures, the houses standing barely higher than her knee, with a wall circling it. Then, setting a tiara of ice upon her head and drawing herself to her fullest height, Elsa walked the narrow streets, addressing her 'subjects' with a smile and a wave until coming to her most valiant knight, Sir Olaf.

"Greetings, Sir Olaf! Do you stand ready to protect my realm?"

"My Queen, of course!" The brave and chivalrous Sir Olaf knelt before his Queen as she summoned a sword and a shield of ice for him. "Danger wouldn't dare strike while I'm here!"

And that was Marshmallow's cue.

The large snowman growled menacingly and stomped towards the city, pausing occasionally to lash out at the defenseless snow plain.

Elsa gasped in shock. "A snow monster!"

"Don't worry, my Queen! I'll protect you!" With nothing but his blunt ice sword shield, the brave Sir Olaf charged forth to vanquish the mighty creature attempting to attack the fair kingdom.

It was a tough battle, the smaller snowman waving his sword at the growling menace, hiding behind his shield whenever the giant would hurl fistfuls of snow at him. He would duck the swipe of large hands, more than once jumping to separate his three piece body for a particularly low swipe, before setting upon the fiend once more.

As the battle raged, the noble queen watched from the safety of the wall, laughing quietly and shouting encouragement. Right up until a snowball struck her, knocking the crown from her head. Brushing the snow from her hair, the blonde did nothing to stop Hans as he raced over, claiming the tiara for himself.

Meanwhile, the brave knight slew the devious creature, the defeated snowman falling down and wailing in his death throes, he turned to shout victoriously: "I have slain the beast!"

"And with the untimely passing of our late Queen," Hans said in a vaguely sorrowful tone while Elsa watched, hands on her hips. "I have taken up her crown!" He proclaimed, setting the tiara on his head delicately and striking a heroic pose. "All hail the Great King Hans!"

Elsa laughed, conjuring a much larger snowball than any of them- except maybe Marshmallow- could've made on their own. "If you're the King, then I'm the evil Ice Witch, come to steal your crown!" The blonde jumped away from the city of ice, still holding the large snowball above her head. "Come, my snowmen! Lay siege to the kingdom!"

"I can't even take over a _fake_ world without someone trying to stop me," Hans said with a wry grin, eyes widening as Elsa raised a brow. "Maybe we can, uh, talk about this-"

"Of course we can," Elsa said, a smirk touching her lips. "Here's my opening statement."

"Elsa, seriou- no, nonononono-" Hans turned and ran but wasn't quick enough, the monster of a snowball hitting him square in the back and knocking him to the ground just as Sir Olaf reached him, poking his side with the ice sword. The redhead instantly groaned, clutching his 'wounded' side. "Oh no! The Great King Hans has fallen!"

Marshmallow finally reached the fallen 'King' and noticed the tiara had fallen from Hans' head. Delicately picking up the tiny headpiece, the snowman set it atop his own massive head.

Instantly, Olaf took up the cry. "A new King is crowned! All hail the Mighty King Marshmallow!"

Hans rolled to his knees as Elsa jogged over, kneeling in the snow beside him and bowing with arms outstretched to the large snowman, chanting in unison. "All hail the King! The Mighty King Marshmallow!"

Olaf joined the chant, his sword raised high as he danced around his new liege.

For his part, Marshmallow bowed as gracefully as his frame would allow, clapping his hands together with a smile as the other continued to praise the new king of the unnamed kingdom. As the four devolved into a fit of giggles, Olaf bounded over to the redhead.

"That was great Hans! You should come play with us more often!"

He shrugged. "I'm usually busy." He looked between the three. "Now, what game should we play next?"

Olaf never had a good concept of time. He understood the basic mechanics of it- he could tell time, at least- but he could never gauge how much time had passed without a clock, especially when he was having fun. He didn't notice the position of the sun or how their shadows were growing long. If Elsa hadn't noticed Hans shivering, they might have continued playing in the snow until the sun set below the horizon.

The small snowman didn't mind that the games were over and they had to go back inside, though. Hans didn't enjoy the cold as much as they did, or he just felt it more than they did, but that wasn't his fault! He could hardly hold it against the man, even though they were having so much fun.

He expected Hans and Elsa to go their separate ways, seeing as they were usually very busy, but instead they all went to the Oven, grabbed some lunch- nothing fancy, just some cold sandwiches- and they settled in to watch a movie together! Olaf was really excited, even if the movie was one they'd seen many times already, they hadn't seen it in a while and he really liked it!

Hans usually didn't, for some reason, but he was the one who picked it. "For research purposes."

"Of course," Elsa replied, settling on the couch with Olaf in her lap and Marshmallow resting against the back of the couch.

As the tape began to play, Hans settled on the other side of the couch. It was starting to get lines of white through the middle and at the edges from repeated viewings but none of them cared.

Olaf thought about bringing up how they should just get a DVD player, seeing as the picture would be better and discs wouldn't degrade over time the way videotapes did, but he thought Elsa preferred the tapes.

Or maybe she just liked how long she'd had them. He'd never really asked and now didn't seem like a good time.

* * *

><p>Marshmallow shifted slightly, returning to full awareness at the sound of Hans' plate hitting the floor. Olaf seemed to become aware as well but didn't move, seeing as one of Elsa's arms was wrapped around him and moving too much would wake her up.<p>

Hans was sprawled out across most of the couch, head on the arm rest and one leg draped over the back of the couch. Elsa, on the other hand, was curled up on her side, legs tucked up to her chest. He wasn't sure when they'd fallen asleep but, given the movie was nearly halfway through again and there was no light filtering into the room from outside, he suspected they'd all been asleep for some time.

A smile spread across his face as his favorite character came on screen. Fezzik the Giant was a lot like him, except Fezzik could rhyme. Marshmallow preferred not to talk, so he wasn't sure if he was any good at rhyming, but it was better to leave that sort of stuff to the professionals.

Olaf, on the other hand, was like Inigo- passionate and always kind to the giant, even if the smaller snowman would never seek revenge on someone. Elsa was definitely Wesley- smart, strong, fast, and a friend to both Fezzik and Inigo.

He didn't count when Wesley had to fight Fezzik and Inigo, though. It wasn't fair; Elsa would never fight them in earnest. She rarely play fought them in their snow games.

Hans, though... the large snowman tilted his head to regard the redhead. Hans was definitely Miracle Max. Driven by his need to prove himself and a friend to them, yes, but a bit misguided. Not nearly as present in Wesley's life, unlike Fezzik and Inigo, but important all the same.

"Marshmallow?" Olaf's voice was quiet, to the point he wasn't sure his deep rumble could match it, so Marshmallow merely shifted to prove he was listening. The smaller snowman's head turned almost completely around to smile at him. "I think they should go to bed."

Marshmallow nodded, carefully getting up and walking as quietly as he could to the front of the couch. Gently, he scooped Elsa into his large hands and started carrying her to her rooms while Olaf fetched a blanket for Hans.

Halfway to his destination, Elsa stirred, speaking despite her voice being thick with sleep. "You can put me down, Marshmallow. I'll walk."

The large snowman merely smiled at her and continued walking.

"Fine, have it your way."

He reached her room and the doors opened with a lazy wave of Elsa's hand, allowing him to deposit the woman in her bed. As she tucked herself in, Marshmallow returned to the Oven, allowing Olaf to head to Elsa's room while Marshmallow collected Hans- wrapped in a blanket to shield him from the snowman's chill- and went up to the redhead's rooms.

Marshmallow had to push Hans' door open but the man didn't wake, though once he was placed under his thick covers he wiggled until he was deeply ensconced in them. The snowman felt a little bad that Hans was cold most of the time just so he and Olaf could be comfortable- Elsa wasn't bothered by the cold, but she didn't necessarily prefer it- but it also made him feel good that the man would bear it for the sake of his friends.

Hans made Elsa mad sometimes but he did care. He just wasn't good at showing it the right way. Neither was Marshmallow, though; out of all of them, Olaf was the best at expressing himself.

Closing the door behind him, Marshmallow made his way back to Elsa's rooms, claiming his corner as usual while Olaf sat on the bed and watched over the blonde. They hoped she would be able to sleep through the night; she deserved to get some rest.

Through the balcony, Marshmallow could see the Northern Lights dancing across the sky and he smiled. He liked the days when Hans and Elsa weren't working or preparing to leave, when they could all play and relax together like friends should.

He wished it could happen more often but for now, it was the perfect end to a perfect day.

* * *

><p>Hans raised his fist, willing himself to knock on the doors in front of him.<p>

He had to get this over with eventually.

"Just knock. Come on, Hans, just knock." It took Hans a moment to realize the voice wasn't his inner monologue. "Do you remember how to knock?"

"Yes, I remember how to knock, Olaf." Hans hissed, running his left hand through his hair before pounding it against Elsa's door once. He instantly cringed at how hard he hit it, the subsequent two knocks significantly quieter.

The door opened almost instantly, the blonde favoring her friend with a teasing smirk. Of course she could tell he was standing just outside her door the whole time. She was just messing with him.

"Can I help you, Hans?" Her smirk faltered as she raised a finger. "No, let me rephrase: what do you want?"

"An ice sleeve," the redhead replied, cradling his right forearm. "It's been a while since I've written this much."

"You could go stick it in the snow."

"I've already done that," he replied. "_Four times_."

Elsa rolled her eyes but complied, wrapping her ice magic around his wrist, providing him with an ice blue gauntlet and fingerless glove. "I take it you're facing certain difficulties?"

He scowled at her. "Hey, you try wooing a man sometime; it's not as easy as it looks."

"No, thanks, I'll stick to wooing women," Elsa replied with a laugh, opening the door a bit further to admit Olaf.

Hans shook his head, flexing his right hand to ensure mobility. Elsa's ice clothes were fine for the blonde but made the redhead feel a little... weird. "All I have left is the final draft. How are you coming along?"

"Almost finished, actually," Elsa replied, reaching up to tuck an errant lock of hair behind her ear. "By the way, I'm going to head out for a bit once I'm done."

He thought about questioning her but decided against it. Elsa liked her trips to be private and he had to rein in his curiosity on the matter. Now was certainly not the time to start irritating her with questions she would ignore anyway.

"I'll give it to Olaf if you're not back by the time I'm done." Hans turned to leave but cast a look at Elsa over his shoulder. "By the way, I've already started looking into our next bid for world domination. It's not a serious plan, just something to stoke the fires, so to speak."

Elsa crossed her arms over her chest. "I'm listening."

"We'll be going to Mexico!" He started walking backwards, a smile splitting his face. "There are a few men down there claiming to be on the trail to El Dorado."

"The fabled city of gold?" Elsa's face scrunched in confusion. "Hans, why would we-"

"Exactly!" Hans laughed. "We don't need the money but the kids don't know that. If we succeed, so what, more money; and if we fail, so what, it's just a distraction anyway. Perfect!"

Elsa shook her head. "I don't think that word means what you think it means."

Turning to walk forward, the redhead waved her off. "Oh hush, I know what I'm doing!"

"I highly doubt that!" Elsa called after him before closing the door, returning to her desk to finish her anonymous love letter to Anna while ignoring her nerves.

This whole thing was _so_ stupid she still couldn't believe she was buying into it wholesale.

* * *

><p>There was only a little snow accumulated on his roof from the freak snow storm that afternoon but he wasn't sure how much longer it would hold up. The roof was old and he was stubborn; he'd rather dedicate more time to clearing snow than spending the money to have someone <em>else<em> redo it. He thought about redoing it himself but... well, the work was stubborn and he was a bit older than he liked to admit.

Still, something had to be done.

Grabbing his shovel and a broom from the kitchen, Noah stepped out onto his front porch, grumbling to himself as he set the broom aside to go grab the ladder from his garage. He made it halfway around to the front when he noticed someone was standing at the edge of his drive. He'd never seen the person before, looked like some kid from town in that big blue hoodie.

While he certainly wasn't the pariah of the town- rather, he was their elder, the leader, even if some of the younger generations liked to needle him about his old ways- the kids around town would get the notion to play pranks on him. Some part of him understood but, after the fifth time digging himself out of his own house, 'harmless fun' seemed like an excuse and a horrible one at that.

Noah took a step back towards the porch and raised the shovel in his hand. At least the shovel was a weapon, if not the best of them, but the person put up their hands in a clear sign of surrender.

"I want to make a deal," the woman said in English that wasn't accented by Inuktitut or French. She stepped a little closer so he could get a better look at her.

Squinting his eyes, Noah could make out only her pale skin and ice blue eyes, most of her face absorbed by the hood. It took a moment longer for it to click in his head: she was the one Memphis liked to call Snow Walker. She came by every now and again- odd timings, never regular- and bought supplies from Memphis' general store, canned food mostly, and then left, never in a vehicle or a sled, just walked away in a different direction every time.

Memphis' boy, Mumble- odd kid but reasonably good heart when he wasn't being a troublemaker- tried following her once. He came back saying she was swallowed by a snow drift but, sure enough, she returned to the store a month or so later, not looking any worse for wear. She rarely spoke, never mentioned where she came from or where she was going to, but was polite for the most part.

He got into it with Memphis once over this Snow Walker, calling into question her odd behavior, but after most of the town took Memphis' side, he let the issue lie. Not like she joined Mumble, Gloria, and the other ruffians in their antics anyway. Just an odd, mysterious woman who hadn't caused anyone trouble... yet.

"What kind of deal?" Noah was wary. Snow Walker always paid what was owed to Memphis, sometimes double if she put in a order, but she also never interacted with any other member of town. Just because she was fair and reasonable with Memphis didn't mean she was good news for everyone.

She gestured to his roof. "I'll clear your roof of snow. In exchange, I use your address to mail a few letters. That's it."

Noah started at the odd request.

"Maybe my hearing's worse than I thought," he said to himself before regarding the woman again. "You'll clear my roof just so you can post a few letters?" She nodded. "What's your name?"

"I'm not telling you that," she replied, narrowing her eyes slightly and taking a step back. "If someone comes looking for me... you won't have anything to tell them."

The old man laughed. "Clever girl." Ignoring her slight irritation, he nodded. "Roof isn't what it used to be. I can't afford to let snow accumulate, so how often will you come by and how long will our deal last?"

"Until summer, at the earliest," she said, shifting slightly, as if nervous. "I'll come by every week or after each storm, whichever comes first."

Noah turned to regard his roof. That was a better deal than he could hope for, really; with his joints and back, he couldn't hope to match it through his own efforts without spending a day or two too swollen to move. Especially seeing as this winter promised to be a harsh one.

"Give me a demonstration," he said, tossing the shovel to her before heading to the garage to get the ladder. It took him a few extra minutes and a lot more noise than he intended- damn thing was stuck under some gear he'd picked up during one of Memphis' sales- but after he hauled it up on his shoulder, he returned to the front of the house and promptly dropped it to the ground in shock.

The woman was standing with the shovel in hand, same place as before he left... but there wasn't a trace of snow left on his roof, not even his garage. With all the racket he caused, he hadn't even heard her, but he hadn't been gone _that_ long!

She shrugged as he turned his questioning gaze upon her. "I have a lot of experience clearing snow."

Well so did he, but even in his youth he couldn't clear a roof that quick!

"Alright, so you got some... interesting skills." Noah nodded absently before shaking his head to get his thoughts back in order. "Where's this post going, anyway? America?" It was the woman's turn to be shocked but he merely grinned. "Your accent gave you away."

At her affirmative reply, he nodded and glanced at the roof. International post would cost a little but, if she kept up her end of the bargain, he didn't mind covering it. Heading up to the porch, he tapped on a rusted, worn mail tin.

"Put the letters in here when you want them posted; I'll take them into town. Trev stopped coming by my place decades ago for post." Noah laughed. "Bet he'll be surprised. Change doesn't exactly come easily around here."

"Thank you." She nodded, handing him the shovel before starting back down his drive, towards town. He doubted that's where she was headed, though.

"Hey, Snow Walker." He called, waiting for her to acknowledge him. "Let's say someone does come looking for you. Anything you'd like me to pass along?"

She was quiet for a moment before raising her gaze to meet his. "That I'm fine and I'm free."

"A stray dog's free," he replied, crossing his arms over his chest. "Doesn't mean she won't paw at the door, want to spend a night around the family hearth."

"There's a reason she's a stray. Besides..." The woman turned and started walking away again, her words barely caught by the wind to reach Noah's ears. "The cold never bothered me anyway."

* * *

><p>Author's Note: Hans and Elsa, everybody. Truly a diabolical pair, aren't they? I find it exceptionally funny that this is the chapter posted given the last review on the first chapter remarked on Elsa and Olaf being bad guys. Anyway, thanks to lauraknatt for the inspiration, only-looking for being an awesome beta, everyone who's still reading this, and to all who've favorited, followed, and reviewed. I'm getting a kick out of writing it, so I hope y'all are enjoying it too. We'll be getting back to Anna next chapter. Also, I got next to nothing done this week because of Las Vegas. Still on track for next week's update though.<p>

To Person of no interest: I already had Olaf's gaming scene written when you posted your first review, so I laughed like a loon. I love irony and I hope you enjoyed seeing Olaf being computer savvy.


	7. What Friends Are For

**Disclaimer**: All characters are from their respective works. Don't bother suing me; I ain't got the money, honey. Oh, and, vocab lesson. Time now: a phrase (associated with the American Military) that's usually used in frustration or irritation because things are moving too slowly or someone is in trouble. It basically is like saying "I need to know this/you need to be here/this needs to be done and you're already late, so get moving before I put a boot in your ass" in two words. It's handy.

* * *

><p>Anna rolled her eyes playfully as she stepped through the door, Kristoff not far behind. "It's silly."<p>

"It's perfect!" The blond defended, gently nudging his friend as they started towards their favorite table. "Do I need to get multiple second opinions on this? There's always tomorrow-"

"No, you most certainly do not, Kris, I swear, I'll disown you." Anna threatened, feeling a blush rise in her cheeks at Kristoff's smug smirk.

"For one, not how that works, and for another, you wouldn't even _if_ you wanted to because you know I'm right."

"You are not right and I'm so done with this conversation!"

Mentally, Anna was cursing her willingness to go along with her friends' spur-of-the-moment suggestions. True, it was a welcome relief given how hectic her schedule was to have something completely inconsequential pop up out of the blue, but perhaps she shouldn't have been quite so eager to meet with the group given their current fixation on 'helping' her.

Otherwise, she'd be at home, enjoying her quiet Tuesday evening rather than trudging through Mr. Oaken's lobby with a blush rising in her cheeks.

On the outside, Wandering Oaken's Trading Post looked like a traditional, if rather large, log cabin. Inside was a quaint, almost picturesque and spacious sitting room, complete with a fireplace set against the far wall. Tables and seats were arranged tastefully to foster conversation that was at least somewhat private, spread throughout the room, one section occupied by three of their friends. In the very center was a large, wooden desk where Mr. Oaken sat when he wasn't tending to... whatever he actually did here. The place was large enough to be a restaurant, had extra rooms enough to be a small lodge, and even boasted a strange assortment of knick-knacks and equipment- some touristy and some not- but... she wasn't sure what Mr. Oaken _did_ for a living.

Then again, she wasn't entirely sure what her own parents did for a living, so that shouldn't be too surprising. Anna was a big picture person; details were sometimes lost in translation.

The man himself wasn't present, so Anna and Kristoff went to join their friends, two cups of hot chocolate already waiting for them.

"Been givin' tha lass a hard time tha whole walk over, haven't ye?" Merida chuckled, hiding her mirth behind her own mug as Anna plopped into one of the cushioned chairs.

"Best friend duties can't be neglected, Merida," Kristoff replied while adjusting an imaginary tie. "One must be proper about these sorts of things."

"Proper? You?" Mulan raised a brow as Merida and Rapunzel laughed, the boy matching her look of skepticism with one of feigned indignity.

Anna cracked a smile, listening to her friends tease each other. It was a nice reprieve before the inevitable-

"Alright, settle down everyone, we've got really important matters to discuss!" Rapunzel beamed, sitting on the edge of her chair and setting her empty mug aside. Once the air was cleared between them, the bubbly blonde had no troubles whatsoever fitting herself back into the group, as if she'd never spent any time away from them. It brought a smile to Anna's lips that she hadn't lost such a good friend and served as yet another reminder to pay more attention to these things. Being busy was no excuse to let really close friends drift away. "Anna wants to get the girl and she needs our help!"

"I'll say." Merida added, raising a brow at Anna's glare. "What? It's tha truth."

"My loving and supportive friends, ladies and gentlemen." Anna grumbled to herself halfheartedly, hiding a grin as the others busted out laughing.

"Well, did everyone come up with their plans?" Mulan looked at the other three, leaving Anna to drink her hot chocolate in momentary peace.

Earlier in the day, the four of them decided to come up with their own strategies to help the redhead flirt with her crush and present them to Anna at Mr. Oaken's. Personally, she wasn't sure if she should be touched by their desire to help or insulted that they didn't believe she could do this alone, though she tried to focus on the former. Maybe something good would come out of it, despite the fact that only Rapunzel had maintained any sort of long term relationship, and a long distance one at that. Lack of practical experience didn't mean any advice they would possibly give was patently bad, right?

And, though Kristoff had already offered, she refused to ask Bulda; while she thought of the woman as a second mother, she wasn't about to go to her _own_ mother for advice, let alone Kristoff's, even if she was a love expert.

Kristoff thumped his chest proudly, bringing Anna's attention back to the conversation at hand. "I've been working with her on some _amazing_ lines."

"As in pick-up lines?" Rapunzel's face screwed up as she shook her head. "Doesn't that seem a little... crass?"

"I agree," Mulan said, tapping her chin in thought. "Just the title 'Ice Queen' evokes something more... genteel and refined than pick-up lines."

"You haven't even heard them yet!" Kristoff smirked, leaning forward. "Here, I'll give you girls a sample. Just _try_ to tell me these aren't swoon worthy."

"Some kind soul, please take pity on me." Anna begged under her breath, her eyes gazing skywards as Kristoff readied himself to astound their friends. She'd spent the night before and part of the school day listening to her best friend's attempts at being suave and wasn't looking forward to a repeat performance.

For better or worse, her prayers were answered.

"Hey Andersen!" The assembled friends turned to see Aurora striding towards them, three of her fellow cheerleaders following close behind. After a brief moment of confusion, Anna stood, arms crossed over her chest, and allowed her best approximation of smug curiosity to settle over her.

She also hoped that she didn't look too relieved. "Briar. To what do I owe the pleasure?"

The cheerleaders stopped a respectable distance away, staying tucked in together with Snow at one of Aurora's shoulders and Cinderella at the other. Esmeralda hung back a few steps, inspecting her nails. The softballers were outnumbered but that didn't alarm Anna in the slightest; if anything, it just made her very curious. What was so important that it couldn't wait until tomorrow morning?

"Andersen." Aurora narrowed her eyes at Anna, who was tempted to raise a brow at the strange anxiety she could see just behind the other girl's eyes. "Much as I hate to acknowledge the event, you are aware of the competition next week, right?"

"Oh, no, I had no idea there was a qualifying competition next week for the cheer squad," Anna replied sarcastically, rolling her eyes. She was the _master_ of time management; of course she kept a tight mental inventory of all her commitments! "Come on, Briar-."

"Save it for some other time, Andersen." Aurora nodded to Snow and Cinderella who followed her as she strode away, leaving Esmeralda behind. She called over her shoulder: "And try not to flake on us."

They made to sit at one of the tables on the far end of the room but Anna was a little too shocked to process that information, running her fingers over a braid as she bit her lip.

Mulan pursed her lips, shifting forward in her seat. "That was a bit of a low blow."

"In her defense, this is sort of a unique situation." Esmeralda offered with a shrug, putting a hand on Anna's shoulder to gently turn the redhead back towards her friends. "I mean, yeah, the whole rivalry tradition has never included actively sabotaging the other-"

"She thinks I would do that?" Anna frowned, hurt shining in her eyes so brightly that Esmeralda drew away slightly.

"No! No, of course not, Anna, but... well, she's worried." The other girl shrugs, clearly uncomfortable. "She's the captain and it's her job to worry about how the team will perform."

"Right." Anna nodded absently, rubbing at her cheek to coax the melancholy from her voice. It was always there, in the back of her mind, that running off to various parts of the planet would come back to bite her one day. Well, she wouldn't let it affect the cheer competition, if that was what truly had Aurora worried. "That makes sense."

"I think she's just nervous about the competition; she really didn't mean anything by it." Esmeralda was searching for a way to make it up to the redhead but Anna was already grinning at her.

"Yeah, you're right. Competitions can put anyone on edge."

"Can't believe ye came all the way up here just ta say that," Merida said with a bit of a growl, eyes glinting with irritation. "Long way ta go jest ta make sure Anna'll do exactly what she says she's gonna."

"Guys, it's alright," Anna said, flashing them a smile. "It's one comment; no need to start a war."

Esmeralda let out a sigh of relief as Anna's teammates relaxed into their seats. Rapunzel and Kristoff- though obviously as upset by the comment as Mulan and Merida- consciously refrained from adding to the conversation. Whatever was going on, it was clearly between the softballers and the cheerleaders and neither could really do much one way or another.

"Anyway... Aurora made me co-captain today," Esmeralda said, offering a tentative smile. "I think it'll be easier for communication if you go through me for things related to the squad, at least until the competition season's over."

The softballers blinked in surprise before Anna broke out into a smile and lightly punched the other girl's shoulder. "Congrats, Es! I didn't know the cheer team _had_ a co-captain."

Esmeralda shrugged, accepting the congratulations of the others. "Thanks, guys. It's not really a _thing_ but, seeing as I'm helping Aurora design our routines this year, she figured creating the position was only right. Plus, I can keep you in the loop without upsetting the delicate high school hierarchy."

The group laughed at the girl's exasperated expression, except for Merida, who furrowed her brows in confusion.

"Oye, ye ain't thinkin' o' hoppin' the fence on us, are ye?" Merida turned a worried look on Anna but Mulan beat her to the explanation.

"She's the mascot too, remember? For some of the competitions, the mascots are part of the routine."

"I didn't know that." Merida frowned and shook her head. "I never paid attention to the cheer team chatter here. Or back in Scotland, fer that matter. Pom pom wavin' banshees." At Esmeralda's surprised laugh, the Scot shrugged. "Ah, no offense."

Anna rolled her eyes and turned her attention to Esmeralda, who waved off Merida's comments with a smile and proceeded to outline the team practices. In her head, Anna was already rearranging her schedule to accommodate them. Another busy week for the redhead but that was okay. She could totally handle it.

"Sorry to drop that on you and leave, Anna, but we were gonna grab something to sip on and help Snow study for her anatomy test tomorrow." Esmeralda smiled, waving goodbye to the others. "Just go through me if you have any updates for the cheer team, okay?"

"Okay, later!" Anna turned to reclaim her seat, a little sad that her hot chocolate had cooled during the conversation.

"Tha nerve o' that one." Merida grumbled quietly, throwing a heated glare towards the other side of the room. "Who da she think she is, eh? Spoiled brat, that's what."

"Enough, Merida." Mulan put a hand on the Scot's shoulder. "It was just a thoughtless comment. I'm sure Esmeralda will say something to her but an apology isn't likely." She went to sip her drink but stopped, raising a warning finger as Merida opened her mouth. "And no, you cannot beat one out of her."

"That's one way to stoke a rivalry." Rapunzel muttered, patting the tops of her thighs before her face lit up. "Hi Mr. Oaken!"

"Yoo hoo!" All five teens turned, wide smiles on their faces as the burly man strode over towards them, carrying a platter practically overflowing with treats. If there was one way to turn any bad day around, it was the man's home cooking! "I bring goodies, ya?"

"Sweet!" Kristoff leaned forward, accepting the tray and setting it on the table while the girls took their cups off it. There was a wide assortment of pastries, desserts, and even some finger sandwiches- everyone's favorite treats were packed onto the tray. "You're the best, Mr. Oaken!"

"Is no trouble," the burly man replied, offering a fond smile to the five as they tore into the platter. "I bring more hot chocolate, ya?" When he received no answer, he shrugged and started walking away. "Okay, I bring lutefisk."

"WAIT!" All five called out as various bits of food flew from their mouths. Well, except Mulan; she managed to swallow at an opportune moment.

Mr. Oaken laughed heartily, the sound deep as his belly shook. "I kid, ya? I bring hot chocolate!"

Everyone let out a sigh of relief as he started away again. They vividly remembered the last time Mr. Oaken managed to slip them lutefisk; surprisingly, Kristoff was the only one who didn't spend the rest of the night alternating between stomach sickness and intense sweating.

As they enjoyed the food- Anna had a finger sandwich in one hand and a chocolate covered strawberry in the other, alternating between the two and ignoring the looks she received for doing so- the five were quiet, to the point that it gave the redhead a glimmer of hope the topic they all agreed to talk about might've been forgotten completely. She was totally okay with that, really.

"Someone thinks she's getting away with something," Rapunzel said in a singsong tone, giggling the moment Anna's eyes locked onto her.

She already had magic hair; what, could she read minds now too?

"Aye, she thought we'd all forgotten!" Merida smirked and Anna was already regretting whatever the Scot was about to say. "I think we should start now, aye? We've only an hour or so before our mums start a callin' us home."

"That would be wise." Mulan cut in before Anna could object. "We wouldn't want this conversation to end before we've each had our say."

"Don't _I_ get a say in this?"

"Yeah!" Rapunzel clapped her hands in front of her as a wide smile erupted on her face. "I have the best idea, I swear! Can I go first? I've seriously been thinking about this all day."

"Not talking to myself over here."

"I still don't get why you all came up with your own strategies. I'm the only one who's actually met her!" Kristoff crossed his arms over his chest. "Doesn't that make me the expert by default?"

"Seriously, guys."

"Ah but yer a boy, Kristoff," Merida said, wagging a finger at him. "We've got a bit more experience when it comes ta dealin' with girls."

"Okay, well, I'm just gonna... go..."

"Not romantically!" He quickly retorted before school his expression into one of mock surprise, raising a brow at Merida. "Unless there's a recent development you've yet to mention?"

The blond instantly put his arms up to fend off the flurry of jabs Merida sent his way as a blush worked its way to her cheeks. Anna used the distraction to silently slip from her seat, intent on heading towards the door, but- because the universe decided that her good luck streak had to end some time- found her path blocked by a fuzzy wall.

"Yoo hoo, Anna! Vhere ever could you be going?"

"Aw no, ye ain't gettin' away that easy!"

"Dang it!" Anna groused, accepting the mug of hot chocolate from Mr. Oaken before settling into her seat _again_. "Fine. Rapunzel, you go first."

"Yay!" The blonde sat forward, glee evident on her face as she launched into her supposedly fool-proof strategy.

Anna listened patiently, keeping any comments to herself. If nothing else, it was an... interesting experience. Her friends came up with some creative ideas, even if they all weren't exactly practical- "How are we supposed to air drop into a jungle with a pie, Rapunzel? Should I have Sven hold it in his antlers?"- and it was more than a little entertaining to listen to Merida and Kristoff bicker about whether or not trying to kiss a girl in order to ask her out was a viable tactic.

Anna was so absorbed in listening to Mulan's tips on being 'coy' that she missed Esmeralda's approach, the girl tapping the redhead's shoulder to get her attention. "Hey, Es, what's up?"

The other girl sighed, brows furrowed and mouth twisted as though she wasn't entirely sure what she was going to say which... was honestly a first, as far as Anna was concerned. Few had a sharper tongue than Esmeralda, especially when it came to getting something off their chest.

"Okay, this is going to sound weird, but I'm being serious." Esmeralda raised her hands, probably wary of the group's earlier irritation. "Just... be careful tomorrow, okay?"

"Well... mission accomplished." Rapunzel offered slowly. "That definitely comes across as weird."

"It's just something Aurora said and I'm being paranoid-"

"Slow down, Es." Anna smiled. "I'll be careful, I promise, but is there something I should be watching for, specifically?"

Esmeralda shrugged. "Aurora said something about it was going to be a hard day for you tomorrow. She gets these feelings sometimes and she's usually right, according to Snow." She sighed, shrugging helplessly. "Better safe than sorry, right?"

Anna reached over and patted Esmeralda's arm reassuringly. "Alright, I'll keep the warning in mind. See you at practice tomorrow?"

Esmeralda nodded and bid the five of them goodnight. Anna noticed that they were the last ones in the room, aside from Mr. Oaken at his desk, and checked her watch. "Whoa, it got late."

"Surprised me mum hasn't called yet," Merida said, pulling her phone from her pocket and grimacing. "Ah, hells. I left tha thing on silent again!"

Panic spread through the teens as they checked their respective phones, though only Merida had missed calls. Deciding they'd best hurry to their respective homes, the group started tidying up their mess before being waved off by Mr. Oaken. With their farewells said- and several promises that the conversation wasn't over- Anna started for home, a slight smile on her lips

Okay, that could've gone _much_ worse. She didn't exactly think anything would really help her out but it did get her thinking about the, well, possibilities. It gave her a new burst of excitement for the next time she faced off against Ice Queen, excitement that nestled quite comfortably next to the nearly unbearable nervousness teeming just beneath her skin. But, she could totally do this. Just like with anything else. Make a plan, execute the plan, and pick herself up if she failed.

Because that was totally a possibility, that she'd read the whole situation wrong or she somehow completely screwed up when she tried flirting with the blonde beauty. And if that happened, then she would have to just... move on. It wouldn't be the end of the world or anything. If anything, it would be way easier than any of her previous relationships; there was always that awkward tension after the break-up where the whole school was on edge, seeing if either party would snap and wondering which side they'd pick. Ice Queen didn't attend her high school, probably didn't live anywhere close to Colorado, so she was totally in the clear.

It wasn't like the whole school was aware of her crush and she'd be receiving advice or being asked for an update _every day_ or anything, right?

* * *

><p>Anna settled into her seat, sliding her notebook onto her desk as Kristoff took the one beside her. Students entered the classroom in twos and threes, filling the last few minutes before school began with idle chatter and quiet laughter.<p>

Anna, on the other hand, was reviewing her mental itinerary. She needed to run through the cheer routine today after her last period and then book it over to softball practice, which shouldn't be too much of a time crunch. The first twenty minutes was dedicated to stretches and cardio anyway, and she'd get that in while working on the routine.

Sometime during the school day, she needed to find Belle and Phillip. The student council needed to review preparations and theme for the homecoming game and dance next month and they needed to find a reasonable workaround, seeing as Aurora was part of the council as well. Maybe Phillip could negotiate some sort of... truce? Was that applicable in this situation? Whatever; the terminology didn't matter. She could probably fit in another student council meeting next week, after the cheer competition.

Anna bit her lip as she thought. Okay, so was that everything? Cheer practice, check, softball practice, check, student council, working on that... oh! She needed to bring the pep squad together for the skit! Who were they playing again? Had to be-

The bell cut off her train of thought, prompting Mr. P- who was previously sitting at his desk in the corner and reading the morning newspaper- to stand and take his spot at the front of the class. Chatter quieted down as he smiled, drawing a preparatory breath to begin the lesson.

"Good morning! Today, we're going to-" Mr. P cut off suddenly as Principal Mode strode into the room, her brows furrowed and mouth pulled into a frown.

Everyone in the room tensed; if the Principal was upset _this_ early in the morning, someone was in _big_ trouble.

"Andersen and Bjorgman." Principal Mode's eyes swept the room to discourage any surprised mutterings before landing on the duo. "Come with me dahlings, there's... someone here who wishes to speak with you two."

Anna and Kristoff exchanged confused looks before standing up and following the woman. While it wasn't exactly odd for them to leave class or lunch in a hurry, it rarely involved a member of the faculty retrieving them. Anna checked her communication device just in case but it didn't appear like she'd missed Mr. Oaken's call or anything.

"Is there something wrong, Principal Mode?" Anna frowned at the obvious agitation shining in the woman's eyes as she turned on her heel and escorted them from the classroom briskly. Were her parents okay? Kristoff's?

"Yeah, are we in trouble or something?" Kristoff looked around, half expecting Sven to have snuck on campus again. It wouldn't be the first time but it was usually Officer Brooks who came and got him in that case, precisely so he _wouldn't_ have to face Principal Mode.

"Calm down, dahlings," Principal Mode said, waving a hand towards the entrance of the school. "I daresay you won't have many questions directed at you, given how the conversation is currently going."

At the entrance were six people, four of whom were openly armed and all of whom were wearing tense expressions. Closest to the doors of the school were three soldiers, two wearing the standard duty uniform Anna commonly saw whenever she worked with the Army while the third was wearing the formal dress uniform.

Anna frowned, recognizing the patches worn by the two soldiers in the regular uniforms. She'd seen similar- if not identical- patches on the soldiers in Cheyenne Mountain. One of the soldiers standing the hallway might've actually been there; she looked vaguely familiar, though Anna and Kristoff often hopped rides on military transports so it could've easily been that. Either way, the two in the duty uniforms wore pistols on their hips and a grey patch with 'MP' emblazoned on their left shoulders. The one in the middle, in the dress uniform, was much older in comparison, his hairline receding to leave a bald spot that caught the light almost as effectively as his silver hair.

Across from them, with their backs to the approaching teens and principal, were Sheriff Smollet, Deputy Arrow, and Officer Brooks, the former wearing their own duty uniforms while the latter wore her typical black suit and shades. Like the MP soldiers, the Sheriff and Deputy were wearing their own sidearms, though all four were careful to keep their arms crossed, away from their weapons.

Sheriff Smollet was tall and thin, exuding grace and deadly precision like a prowling tiger, short auburn hair curling around her jawline and piercing blue eyes, while Deputy Arrow was built like he was cut from stone, rigid angles and a square jaw that could cut glass, eyes and hair the color of slate.

"For the last time, that's not how this works," Officer Brooks said, her patience apparently wearing thin as she addressed the man in the dress uniform, paying no mind to the rank on his shoulder boards or the medals glittering on his chest. Much like Couch Calhoun, Officer Brooks could boast some sort of military career, but she never spoke of it in front of the students. "Since you're apparently having an issue with understanding that, we'll go over it _again_."

"You may have jurisdiction on your installation but this is _our_ county." Sheriff Smollet continued, glaring at the soldier across from her.

"And _our_ city." Deputy Arrow growled, glaring at the soldier across from him.

"And the kids here are _my_ responsibility." Officer Brooks finished. "Which means we _will_ be present for any and all questioning of the students here, to ensure their safety. Otherwise, you leave the grounds."

"I hardly think _I_ pose them any danger." The man said, his mustache quivering with each word as he tried peering down his nose at Officer Brooks, the attempt severely diminished by the fact she was at least a foot taller than him. "This is a military matter-"

"Sir, be that as it may," one of the soldiers said, speaking softly and choosing her words carefully. "They are completely justified in their concern. We may be here in an official capacity but we _are_ outside of our jurisdiction and we must adhere to their conditions."

Her counterpart sighed. "Sir, Hughes is right. Unless we get a warrant from a judge, we don't have a leg to stand on out here."

"I brought you two along to support _me_, not cower to a bunch of civilians." The man turned beady eyes on the two soldiers beside him, obvious cross with their lack of concern for his irritation.

"Sir, you brought us along because we're Military Police and we actually know what we're doing," the second soldier said, reaching up to adjust her hat. "If you'd listen to us, this entire process will go much smoother and might actually yield something aside from a headache."

"Specialist Bartlett, need I remind you who outranks who at the moment?"

As Specialist Bartlett opened her mouth to reply, Hughes- also a Specialist, given the ranks on their chests and hats were identical- shook her head over the man's shoulder, prompting Specialist Bartlett to bite her tongue and turn her attention to Anna, Kristoff, and Principal Mode. The man- obviously an officer- turned to follow her gaze and looked both teens up and down before sniffing.

"These are them?" He turned to Specialist Bartlett, who nodded.

"They had a reindeer with them, but these are the kids who came to Cheyenne Mountain the night of the security breach."

"Good. Now, let's get this started." The man turned his attention to Officer Brooks next. "Escort us to a room where we can talk. Privately."

"The Principal's office is as private as you'll get," Officer Brooks replied, sweeping her arm towards the thick double doors beside the school's entrance. "And we will be present for your _little _chat. End of argument."

The man bristled at the emphasis on 'little' but nodded his head all the same, glaring openly at Officer Brooks before following Principal Mode into her office. Anna, Kristoff, and Officer Brooks brought up the rear, the teens exchanging worried looks before entering the office and being directed to sit in front of Principal Mode's desk. The two MPs stood off to the side, mirrored on the other side of the room by the Sheriff and Deputy while Principal Mode took her seat behind the desk. The man stood before Anna and Kristoff while Officer Brooks stood half a step behind their chairs, as if daring the man to try threatening either teen.

"My name is Colonel Duke Weselton of the United States Army, currently assigned to Fort Carson here in Colorado." He began, looking down his nose at Anna and Kristoff in turn. Seated as they were, the Colonel was taller than them, though not by much. "I have been appointed to investigate the security breach at the Cheyenne Mountain research facility last week. Seeing as the surveillance equipment at the installation was heavily damaged during the attack, I must rely on first hand accounts." He drew himself to his full height, clasping his hands behind his back. "Seeing as _you two_ were the ones who ultimately prevented any research from being stolen that night, I have come to interrogate-"

"Watch your word choice." Deputy Arrow growled as he made to take a step forward, stopping his advance at the Sheriff's hand on his arm.

"You are addressing two teenagers who have done nothing but assist people all over the world, Colonel," Sheriff Smollet said, her eyes glinting dangerously. "Please refrain from using such... incriminating language in their presence. We, as a community, are very proud of their efforts and selfless actions."

"Very well." The Colonel conceded, returning his attention to Anna and Kristoff. "I wish to learn more about the individuals who entered the facility that night. A man and a woman, yes?"

"Yeah, The Prince and Ice Queen," Kristoff said, his shoulders relaxing slightly as he spoke. The aggression rolling off everyone in the room was a little distressing but, given at least half of that aggression was in their favor, he felt at ease with the man's attention on him. "They're two of our most frequent adversaries when it comes to, uh, these kinds of situations."

"What kind of situations would that be?" Colonel Weselton scowled. "Situations that compromise the security of this nation?"

"What? No, are you kidding?" Kristoff actually had the temerity to laugh. "I mean, don't get me wrong, The Prince _wants_ to take over the world, or so he says, but he never comes close! We always stop him."

"'We' is it?" He turned his attention to Anna. "You expect me to believe two kids thwart world domination on a regular basis?"

"We do," Anna replied with a weak smile and a shrug. "But, Kristoff's right. It's not really a big deal; they try all the time and we stop them. Nothing to worry about."

"I disagree." The Colonel sneered. "I find this something I should _very much_ worry about because, somehow, you two were aware that an attempt to breach security would be made on a military installation before anyone else... almost as if you were part of the planning process."

"That's quite an accusation to casually lay about," Officer Brooks said, her tone equal parts threatening and condescending.

"And not one _we_ are making at this time." Specialist Hughes offered, ignoring the Colonel's glare. "The Colonel is simply inquiring as to how such information came into their possession."

"_We_ don't get the information, any of it, actually," Kristoff said, spreading his hands in front of him. "Anna and I don't deal with the requests ourselves. Mr. Oaken- he owns a shop on the other side of town- runs our website and arranges our missions for us, based on anonymous tips supplied through the website or through official channels. I mean, we were in Germany over the weekend because the Bundeswehr requested our assistance-"

"The German Armed Forces requested the assistance of two American teenagers?" The Colonel narrowed his eyes in suspicion at Kristoff, though the blond didn't dare to blink as he met the man's gaze. "You expect me to believe this?"

"I would, seeing as its true." Bartlett waved her phone at the Colonel's incredulous glare as he whipped his head in her direction. "I can find three separate news organizations reporting on it, including _Stars and Stripes_, and this isn't the first time they've assisted in Germany. Their story checks out."

Colonel Weselton grumbled something to himself before turning his attention to Anna and Kristoff once more. "So you received this so-called anonymous tip... then what?"

Kristoff searched for something to say but came up empty- he really didn't pay attention to the mechanics of how they got from point A to point B. Once Anna got the call, he was dragging himself onto some vehicle of death and bound for some new place he'd barely have time to look at before something started breaking or exploding or imploding or whatever. Was there another step he missed because he was too busy complaining about it?

Noticing his inability to answer, Anna picked up the conversation.

"Mr. Oaken relayed the information to th-the Army and the Air Force, who requested our assistance." Anna could feel sweat forming on her palms as the man's gaze landed on her. Well that was disconcerting. How the heck was she supposed to flirt with Ice Queen when she couldn't get through _this_ conversation without stuttering? She felt like a child caught with her hand in the cookie jar. "That's the only reason we went."

"Yes, that was mentioned, us... requesting your assistance." Colonel Weselton looked distinctly displeased with this fact. "You admitted many of your... _missions_ involve those two. What can you tell me about the woman?"

"Excuse you." Anna narrowed her eyes at the Colonel. She didn't like where his questions were headed and she didn't like his tone one bit. Her former anxiety was quickly melting into the anger she felt when defending her friends. "What makes you think we'll-"

"We have anything else to tell you?" Kristoff talked over the redhead, setting a hand on her shoulder. She hadn't noticed she was leaning forward in her seat and mentally kicked herself; now the Colonel was _very_ suspicious. "The Prince wants to rule the world, Ice Queen helps him, we foil them, and then leave. What more is there to say?"

"This woman-"

"Ice Queen," Anna said through gritted teeth. "Her name is Ice Queen."

"This... _Ice Queen_," the Colonel continued, his tone dripping with venom. "Froze over two dozen soldiers and airmen in their places. Any idea on how she managed that?"

Anna crossed her arms over her chest and glared at the Colonel. "She has ice powers. That's literally part of her name. How is this a hard concept to understand?"

"That woman is a monster."

"_No_ she's _not_." Anna answered the veiled disgust in the man's words with obvious fury in her own, making to stand up. The only thing keeping her in place was Officer Brooks' hand on her shoulder; as angry as she was, the redhead wasn't about to fight the security officer over it.

Unless the Colonel kept talking like that; then, all bets were off.

The Colonel looked as though he was about to sneer a reply when the MPs spoke up.

"Girl's got a point." Specialist Bartlett scratched her chin. "It does seem like she's pretty much owning up to the whole 'ice powers' thing."

"Did you see her actually use this power?" Specialist Hughes raised a brow, ignoring Colonel Weselton's incredulous squawk.

Her counterpart nodded. "Not the first time, mind; she caught us all by surprise. But when they made their escape, I had a clear view. She just... flicked her wrist. If it wasn't abjectly horrifying to be on the receiving end of a miniature snow storm, it would've been pretty neat, honestly."

"Do you two mind?" Colonel Weselton snapped and was thoroughly surprised when neither woman reacted. He narrowed his eyes at Specialist Bartlett. "I can't believe you're defending a woman who tried to kill you!"

"She wasn't trying to kill any of us," the woman replied, her fingers subconsciously tracing the edge of the patch on her right shoulder, eyes becoming unfocused. "I've seen that, when someone's trying to kill you, the look in their eyes." She shook her head. "I didn't get that from either of them."

Her counterpart stepped forward, lips drawn into a tight line. "Sir, with all due respect, we're not accomplishing anything here."

"Except for this," Specialist Bartlett turned her attention to the teens, forcing a small smile. "From all of us who were there that night, thanks for your help. I've never been so cold in my life."

Specialist Hughes suppressed a chuckle at her counterpart's animated shiver. "Anyway, Sir, I believe it's time to leave."

"You two seem to forget who is in charge." Colonel Weselton rounded on the enlisted soldiers. "I am a commissioned officer-"

"And we are MPs in the execution of our law enforcement and peace keeping duties," Specialist Hughes cut in, gesturing to the grey MP patch on her shoulder and pistol belt. "Right now, we are acting in a manner as to assist you in your investigation but we _cannot_ condone questioning _minors_ in this manner. Partly because it's immoral but mainly because it's also illegal."

"If you're going to continue in this vein, Sir, we must notify their parents and come back with a warrant." Specialist Bartlett added.

"What they're trying to say, albeit very politely, _Colonel_ Weselton," Sheriff Smollet said, effectively earning everyone's attention as the dangerous edge to her voice sliced through the air. "Is that, while we are willing to extend professional courtesy to our fellow Law Enforcement Officers, not a damned one of you has any legal power here whatsoever. If we chose to _arrest_ you for trespassing, all we would need is Principal Mode's and Officer Brooks' say in the matter and we would be completely justified."

Colonel Weselton visibly jolted at those words, turning to the soldiers only for their steady gazes to confirm the Sheriff's threat.

"Well, I am quite finished listening to this ridiculous line of jibber-jabber," Principal Mode said, jumping onto her desk so she could easily look down on the Colonel. "Do you have anything of actual use to ask my students?" A tense silence hung in the air before the Principal scoffed. "I thought not. Now, Officer Brooks, Sheriff Smollet, and Deputy Arrow will escort you from the premises. You will _not_ come back here for this purpose ever again."

The Colonel looked as though he was about to argue when Officer Brooks stepped up in front of him, her shades sliding forward enough for her to peer at him with her chocolate brown eyes.

"Follow me." Officer Brooks' tone brooked no argument and the MPs were quick to step towards the door, with the Sheriff and Deputy a step behind the Colonel to ensure his cooperation. Once it was just the teens and the Principal left in the office, Kristoff and Anna released a sigh of relief.

"What the _heck_ was that guy's problem?" Kristoff ran a hand through his hair. "Like, seriously, what was he expecting us to _say_?"

"Try not to trouble yourselves with it, dahlings." The Principal hopped off her desk and strode towards them, a smile on her lips. "Everyone here knows better than to listen to or entertain that man's drivel." The door opened and Sheriff Smollet entered, a smirk on her lips. "As much as I wouldn't mind it, you _are_ certain leaving those three with Terry and Sam won't lead to fractured skulls?"

"I have the utmost faith in both of them, Edna." Sheriff Smollet's serious expression fell into one of mild amusement. "More to the point, I believe I have a clearer picture of what transpired today." She turned cat-like eyes on the teens who watched her in barefaced curiosity. "It appears Colonel Weselton was the one in charge of organizing the Cheyenne Mountain defenses the night in question and the events seemed to have put a... damper on his reputation, as well as his official evaluation."

"So he thinks he can come here and find someone _else_ to blame?" Anna stood up, glaring at the spot the Colonel had previously occupied.

She was angry, furious- how dare that man come here accusing The Prince and Ice Queen- well, okay, they probably were criminals in _some_ sense, but they weren't dangerous! Kristoff said it best; if Ice Queen _wanted_ to hurt people, she _could_, but she never did. Anna completely trusted that Ice Queen was nothing near the... _monster_ the Colonel made her out to be.

He'd never even met them! Never seen them, he knew _nothing_ about Ice Queen! But that's who he was focused on, not because she was _dangerous_- because she _wasn't_, Anna believed that _entirely_- but because she was _different_.

Her conversation with Rapunzel rang through her mind. She'd understood then the fears Rapunzel's parents felt but she never imagined she'd feel it. Just because Ice Queen commanded the powers of ice and snow, she was automatically a monster?

Well, Anna had no powers or magic but she had one heck of a right hook. She'd _show_ him what 'dangerous' looked like.

"Whoa, easy there, Feisty Pants," Kristoff said, grabbing hold of her belt before she could go outside. "Let Deputy Arrow and Officer Brooks handle it. They apparently can do a lot worse than us, and legally too. Right, Sheriff?"

Sheriff Smollet cleared her throat, glancing at Principal Mode briefly. "That's... about right, Mr. Bjorgman. You and Ms. Andersen shouldn't worry about that Colonel, though I would advise Oaken to carefully screen any requests from the military for a while."

"Mr. Oaken!" Anna reached out and grabbed Kristoff's arm. "You don't think they'll try bullying him into saying something, do you?"

Despite Anna's concern, everyone else in the room laughed. "Anna, I don't think we need to worry about Mr. Oaken."

"Yes, Bjorgman's correct." Principal Mode smiled wickedly. "Though I hope they _do_ try stopping by his shop. It might be a very... educational experience for them."

"I'll have Deputy Arrow hang around the trading post, just in case." Sheriff Smollet nodded to Anna and Kristoff. "I do apologize about the interruption and I hope the rest of your day goes better." She turned to leave but looked over her shoulder. "Oh, and Mr. Bjorgman, Delbert mentioned something about a prescription...?"

"Oh, right, Grandpabbie's medicine." The blond smiled. "Thanks, Sheriff, I'll pick it up after school."

"Yes, you two may return to your class-" Principal Mode cringed at the sound of the bell as it echoed through the room, grabbing a notepad from her desk. "That infernal bell, I swear. I will change that tone to something more appealing one day." She scribbled out quick notes while muttering to herself. "If I had the gift with sound I do with cloth, it would be a melody all its own!"

Accepting the tardy passes, Anna and Kristoff left the Principal's office with small smiles to mask their concern.

"I can't believe that guy!" Kristoff grumbled, frowning as they made their way through the hallway. "Accusing us of having something to do with The Prince's plans? Unbelievable!"

"Kris, I think that's the _least_ of our worries," Anna mumbled, biting her lip in thought. "It's like the Sheriff said- no one in town would just let them come after _us_."

"Deputy Arrow might; I swear he still doesn't like me." The blond raised a brow before catching on to his friend's meaning, placing a hand on her shoulder. They stepped aside, allowing their fellow students to pass them as the hallway filled with students. "Hey, come on, The Prince might be a little... silly... with his plans and stuff, yeah, but he's pretty smart. He never gets caught and he manages to elude the regular authorities, too. And Ice Queen was able to freeze all those people- really heavily _armed_ people- and they made it out of there without a scratch, right?"

"We _think_, Kristoff; we haven't seen them since! What if..."

"No, no, not what if; he wouldn't have come here looking for more information if they'd managed to lay so much as a finger on those two. I promise, Anna, they're fine." Kristoff smiled, squeezing her shoulder reassuringly. "In two weeks, they'll pop up again in some random country with some crazy scheme and it'll end with an explosion like always. Seriously, don't worry about it."

"Thanks, Kris, but..." Anna sighed, reaching up to toy with one of her braids. "I'm still going to worry. They're not looking for The Prince... they're looking for Ice Queen." She shook her head, offering him a weak smile. "We'll talk about it later."

* * *

><p>Elsa sneezed suddenly, furrowing her brow as she scrubbed at her face. "That was odd."<p>

"Maybe you're cold?" Hans offered from his spot beside Olaf at the computer. The two were working together to track down information on... she wasn't paying attention. She tuned him out three sentences into his opening spiel. "You know, some people believe that sneezing is a sign someone is thinking or speaking of you."

"Where did you hear that?" Elsa turned away from her book, meeting their gazes as the man and snowman turned to her.

Hans beamed in excitement. "I read it on the computer, on this amazing online collaboration of information-"

She raised a brow. "Wikipedia?"

His face fell a little while Olaf laughed. "See! I told you Elsa's really smart!"

The blonde gave a long suffering sigh and returned to her book, trying her hardest to ignore the notion. The idea was patently preposterous; who would be thinking or speaking about her? No one, that's who. Believing otherwise would put her in the same category of hopeless optimism as Hans and she wasn't quite that crazy... yet.

Elsa gave a silent laugh, shook her head, and continued reading her book.

* * *

><p>"You're moping," Kristoff said, sliding further down the line while Anna glowered at the protective glass. They were moving through the lunch line in the cafeteria and it was the first time in a very long time the blond had seen his friend trudge out of something other than sleep deprivation.<p>

"I mention having a crush to _my friends_ and now the whole school knows," Anna replied with a sigh. "I am not moping; I am cursing the effectiveness with which our classmates share information."

"It's like a real life representation of the internet. Instantaneous upload and download and transfer and-" Kristoff noticed Anna's slightly heated glare. "Not helping?"

"Not helping."

Kristoff laughed, handing over his money and waiting for Anna to pay before grabbing a seat. "It's not like anyone's _teasing_ you about it. Except me, but I have best friend privileges, so that doesn't count."

Anna hated to admit how very right he was; no one was trying to upset her with the information or anything but... she never realized prior to today how exceedingly infuriating constant support could be. Mainly because _there was nothing she could do at this point_! Her run-ins with The Prince and Ice Queen were always done on their terms, whenever they struck. So, while she'd received a veritable _truck load_ of tips and advice and well wishes... literally none of it was applicable to her situation. She couldn't _initiate anything_ and it was really, really _frustrating _for the girl who was always on the move and making things happen.

In hindsight, this was a pretty obvious complication. How she'd ignored it until now was a testament to how very silly she could be when properly motivated.

Add to that the run-in with the Colonel... Anna felt more like a wibbly, wobbly, unstable mish-mash of emotions than a teenager. She pointedly ignored how those two things were basically the same in some instances; she considered herself a good deal more level headed than some of her peers.

"They don't even know the full story!" The redhead mumbled, skirting around the issue while striding with Kristoff towards the table where Merida, Mulan, and Rapunzel were already seated. "They just keep saying-"

"Hey, Anna!" Eric called as he headed for the end of the lunch line, a few of the other footballers with him. "Good luck gettin' the girl!"

"Yeah, you got this, Supergirl!"

"Thanks guys!" Anna replied with a smile, glaring at Kristoff the first moment she could. "Do you see what I mean?"

"Ah, the price of being so well liked, you get automatic approval. Truly, you are a cursed soul." Kristoff pulled an insincere look of pity before laughing and nudging his friend. "Well, brace yourself, 'cause it's about to get worse."

"What was that then durin' first period?" Merida's brows furrowed as soon as the two sat down. Everyone wanted to ask about the scene by the Principal's office but most were willing to wait until the rumor mill started churning out likely excuses; only her friends would dare broach the topic. "What'd you two get yerselves into now?"

"Just some Army dude with a bone to pick." Kristoff offered nonchalantly, glancing at Anna to gauge her reaction.

In the time between the confrontation and lunch, Anna had had a bit too much time to think. Now was as good a time as any to get the thoughts out of her head and onto the table, so to speak.

"Guys..." Anna sighed as her gaze swept across everyone at the table. "I don't want them to hurt the girl I'm crushing on, even if she's helping some guy take over the world. Does that make me a bad person?"

Kristoff blinked in surprise. "No."

Merida punched in him the shoulder. "Ya hesitated, ya numbskull!"

"N-no, I didn't- I mean, I did, but not because I had to think about it! She caught me off guard!" Kristoff passed a hand over his face. "And at least I said something!"

Rapunzel shook off her shock and smiled. "Come on, Anna. Don't let some jerk get under your skin."

Anna leaned back in her chair and stared at her food, her brows still furrowing in thought.

Sure, sometimes her exploits drew some less than desired attention, but usually in the form of admirers or the occasional copy-cat, maybe the local authorities depending on the location, but very, very rarely anything so... hostile. She couldn't even remember if anyone had shown such obvious disdain towards The Prince or Ice Queen; usually their schemes were pretty self contained, rarely affecting anything aside from the immediate area when the facility, inevitably, blew up.

The Colonel appeared bent on making it personal though, as if the failed scheme was an attack on him rather than one of many misguided attempts.

It worried her.

"Anna," Mulan said, reaching out to touch her arm. "There's nothing you can do right now. Maybe the next time you're called out to stop them, you can give them a warning. It might discourage them from their current path and that can only be a good thing, right?"

The redhead groaned. "So, on this theoretical mission that may or may not occur some time in the future, I need to find out Ice Queen's name, flirt with her, _and_ warn her that there's a nutcase Army officer who thinks she's a monster." She raised a brow at her friends. "Did I miss anything?"

The table was quiet before Rapunzel leaned forward. "You should try to get her number while you're at it."

A beat of silence was followed by raucous laughter from everyone, Anna included.

"Right, _that_ should be easy enough." She giggled, digging into her food as the conversation turned to other topics.

In the back of her mind, she was coming to terms with her friends' support. Just like her unwavering belief that Ice Queen wasn't dangerous, her friends were absolutely confident in Anna's ability to make that sort of decision for herself.

It felt amazing and she needed to appreciate it. She had some seriously _awesome_ friends.

* * *

><p>The Colonel glared at the entrance to Wandering Oaken's Trading Post and Lodge. "Well? What are you two waiting for?"<p>

"Sir, we really don't think this is a good idea," Hughes said, staring at the doors in trepidation.

Bartlett rolled her eyes and grumbled. "It's essentially the opposite of a good idea."

"Would you two shut up?" Weselton glared at the two women accompanying him. He remembered a time when subordinates knew their place. The state of the Army was exceedingly disappointing; next time he decided to track down leads for his investigation, he was going to bring those two tall fellows. They looked like the quiet and obedient type. "Or is this too difficult a task for MPs to handle?"

Neither woman responded to the insult, following dutifully in the Colonel's wake as he strode to the doors and pulled one open. Meanwhile, at a very large desk in the very center of the room, sat a squat little man with broad shoulders and a friendly grin.

"Yoo hoo! Velcome to Vandering Oaken's. I can help you, ya?"

Weselton squared his shoulders and marched to the desk, meeting the man's wide, friendly eyes with his fierce gaze.

"Are you Mister Oaken, the point of contact for one Miss Anna Andersen and one Mister Kristoff Bjorgman?" Weselton peered down his nose at the man, whose eyes sparkled at the names of the teens.

"Oh, ya, you vould like make request?"

"Yes," Weselton said, paying little mind to the soldiers behind him as they retreated a step. "I want you to give me access to all your archived information regarding the requests you receive as well as any and all information regarding requests from hence forth."

"Vhat?" Oaken blinked rapidly, completely confused by the words that fell from Weselton's mouth. "Vhere is this coming from? Vhy do you ask such things?"

"I am not asking." Colonel Weselton glowered at the man behind the desk. "As a Colonel in the United States Army, I am hereby _ordering_ you to do as I say! I have been charged with bringing to justice the individuals responsible for the security breach at Cheyenne Mountain and I will do so, even if it means bringing in those kids _and you_!"

Oaken drew back in surprise before his face morphed into one of barely restrained fury. He stood up, causing all three of his visitors to step back in shock as he towered over all of them. "You threaten me? You threaten Anna and Kristoff?"

Hughes leaned towards her counterpart. "All aboard the Nope Train?"

"Choo choo, motherfucker," Bartlett replied before they both turned and strode towards the exit purposefully.

"Where are you two going?" Weselton cried, cowering as he craned his neck to look Oaken in the eye. Then the mountain of a man began walking around the desk. "WAIT FOR ME!"

Both women held the doors open as Weselton raced to the government vehicle sitting in the parking lot, one pulling the key fob out to ensure it was unlocked.

"I think we succeeded in getting pulled from this detail," Bartlett said with a chuckle, raising a brow as the two started toward the vehicle Weselton was already cowering within.

Hughes sighed. "If either of us gets through today without losing rank, I'll be surprised."

Bartlett stopped and slowly turned to regard her companion.

"Last week, I was frozen in place by a blonde chick in a halter top." She reached for her chest, pulling at the velcro until her rank detached and waving the fabric at Hughes. "I don't think anyone on this planet can motivate me to care about this right now." She waved her arms around them. "Seriously, look at all the shits I give. Look at them, Hughes! Can you see all the shits I have to give right now? That's right; not a damn one!"

Hughes laughed, heading towards the car again. "Calm down, I get it. Let's get the hell out of this county and find some food."

* * *

><p>Anna maneuvered her way through the hall, smiling and waving to anyone who called out to her. After chatting with her friends a bit more, the redhead managed to find Belle and Phillip before lunch was over, the football captain promising to relay the information to Aurora later.<p>

Before stepping into her last class of the day, she pulled out her communication device and bit her lip. Surely it wouldn't hurt to check, right? That wouldn't be weird or anything. As long as she played it cool; she checked in with Mr. Oaken often enough.

A few seconds after activating the device, Mr. Oaken's face filled the screen and her brows instantly furrowed in concern. "Mr. Oaken? Are you alright?"

"Very angry, Anna," Mr. Oaken replied with a dangerous intonation. "A little man came here-"

One hand flew to her mouth. "Oh, I'm so sorry he bothered you, Mr. Oaken!"

"You know this man?" His bushy eyebrows raised in curiosity, his anger tempered momentarily.

"He came by school and talked to us this morning," Anna said and immediately regretted it as Mr. Oaken's anger came back full force. "I'm so sorry! Sheriff Smollet said-"

"Sheriff? Miss Brooks knows as vell, ya?"

"Of course. Sheriff Smollet, Deputy Arrow, and Officer Brooks were all there." Anna raised a brow. That was a bit of an odd question.

Mr. Oaken paid her curiosity no mind, frowning. "I vill talk to them later. Now." He took a deep breath, his face smoothing out slightly as he reined in his temper. "Vhat can I help you vith, Anna?"

Anna blinked in surprise, a giggle escaping; she'd almost forgotten what she was calling about! It wasn't often she witnessed the gentle man's anger. "Oh, I was just calling to see if we had any missions."

The burly man shrugged with a soft smile. "Nothing, Anna. I call if something come up, ya?"

"Thanks, Mr. Oaken." Anna smiled until the man's face disappeared, then sighed to herself. She shouldn't be surprised or disappointed, but there it was, weighing on her mind just a little before she shook it off. She still had a busy afternoon ahead of her.

Anna quickly entered her last class, coming to a halt the moment a familiar voice rose above all other noise.

"Andersen, outside, double time!" The woman rose from behind her desk, standing much taller than any student and most of the faculty, even in flats.

Every teacher had their quirk: Ms. Incirrina was the weirdly passionate teacher, Mr. Papikrankenitz was the outdoors lover, Ms. Ficent was a stickler for deadlines, and Coach Calhoun was intimidation incarnate for most of the student body.

Truth be told, she wasn't afraid of Coach Calhoun like most students anymore, but part of that was due to exposure. After last year's softball season, Anna was entirely at ease with her Coach's brash attitude and severe gaze. Not to say the woman was any less _intimidating_- far from it- but the redhead had something of a buffer built up by this point.

The redhead stepped back out into the hallway just in time to catch Kristoff jogging down the hall. His lips curled into a smile, ready to say something but instantly swallowed the words as Coach Calhoun stepped out behind the redhead. He took a much wider path than necessary in order to enter the classroom and Anna would've laughed if her Coach's intense gaze wasn't trained on her. "Yes, Coach?"

"Cut the bull roar, Andersen." Coach Calhoun set her hands on her hips and peered down at Anna through dirty blonde bangs. "Whole school is buzzin' with rumors and I need facts, time now. What's going on with you?"

"N-nothing, Coach, just, uh, regular teen stuff?" Anna shrugged. At the woman's intense scowl, she quickly spoke up. "I'm crushing on a gorgeous girl with ice powers who doesn't go here and I have no clue what to do. Oh, and some Army Colonel was being a jerk this morning."

"Do you know a girl with ice powers who _does_ attend this school?" Coach Calhoun raised a brow, nodding as Anna shook her head fiercely. "Thought so." She sent a pointed look at a few students who were slowly walking past that instantly increased their walking speed. "I already talked with Brooks and you should let her worry about the Colonel; she's more than capable of keeping him off school grounds now that she knows about him."

"See, that's the thing, I'm not worried for _my_ sake, Coach, it's-" Anna cringed, cutting off abruptly to prevent from revealing too much.

Coach looked completely unsurprised, though. "Wasn't born yesterday, Andersen. Females with ice powers are in short supply in the world and I hardly believe you happen to know two of them."

"Look, Andersen, I'm not about to get up in your knickers about some crush," Coach said, wagging a finger at her,"but if this is going to distract you from the field or the classroom-"

"It won't, Coach, I promise," Anna said a little too quickly, scratching at the back of her neck absently. "Well, not any more than my missions usually do."

Coach Calhoun regarded her a moment before cracking a smirk. "It's been a rough day, huh?"

Anna sighed, ending with a chuckle. "You have no idea, Coach, and that's saying something. Natural disasters, megalomaniacs, explosions, all those are walks in the park- teen drama, now _that's_ what trips me up."

"Thank God I was never a teenager," Coach Calhoun said, her face and voice completely serious. "But I wouldn't call it 'teen drama' exactly. Have you seen the faculty?" Coach Calhoun nodded down the hall. "We're the biggest collection of hopeless nutcases in the county. At least you have the excuse of being young."

Anna giggled.

Coach Calhoun's gaze flicked over Anna's shoulder before she motioned towards the classroom. "Get back to class and worrying over your crush, Andersen. We'll handle the rest, okay?"

The redhead nodded and went to her seat beside Kristoff in the back of the class as the bell rang out.

Coach Calhoun waited out in the hall a few moments as Officer Brooks walked up. "Well?"

"I put in a few calls." Officer Brooks pushed her shades up the bridge of her nose. "I'll know more in a few days."

"I'm serious, Chief. We have a real shot at taking State this year." The blonde ran a hand through her hair, allowing her frustration to shine through just a bit. "Do I need to make some calls too?"

The brunette regarded her friend a moment, then shrugged. "It couldn't hurt but I doubt it'll do much, Gunny. Not your people."

Coach Calhoun sighed, turning to go into her classroom. "I know you don't need the reminder but..." She stopped at the door's threshold and looked over her shoulder at her friend. "Do what you do best, Chief."

"That is what they pay me for, right?" Officer Brooks flashed a grin before walking away, continuing her patrol of the school as the blonde started barking at her class.

* * *

><p>Author's Note: Thank you, everyone, for sticking with me this far because the Elsanna feels start a bit next chapter then pretty heavy thereafter. Yeah, we're finally (almost) done with the world building and set-up, so now we can have a bit of fun with these characters in this world. Again, I appreciate all the reviews, faves, and follows, and I am sorry I haven't been able to reply to all of your wonderful reviews yet but I'm honestly swamped. Shout out to lauraknatt for the inspiration and only-looking for being the Grammar Nazi I need. You're all awesome.<p>

Oh, and to clarify for anyone confused, the legal power struggle depicted between the military and civilians in this chapter is totally a legit thing, as supported by the Posse Comitatus Act. If you're not one for reading legal jargon, the basic summary is this: military personnel cannot be used in the execution of law enforcement outside of their stated jurisdiction (federal buildings, federal land, airports, etc.) unless certain conditions are met (Presidential order, invitation by civilian authorities, etc.) and the Act does not apply to the National Guard (who are under the direction of their respective State governments). One _could_ argue that this is a special case due to the supposed threat to a federal asset- which is what Weselton was banking on- but, without a warrant and since this is happening in Colorado, the civilian authorities wouldn't let that fly, especially given the extenuating circumstances (Anna and Kristoff being, ya know, bloody _heroes_ and all).


	8. Just Another Day

**Disclaimer**: All characters are from their respective works. Fair use, blah blah, don't kill me. Sorry for the extra long chapter but... it looks like this might become a regular thing. Would y'all prefer if I broke them up instead? Let me know. Also, oh look, more military vocab: SIs - short for Sensitive Items, SIs are equipment issued to a specific individual that also have serial numbers. Colloquially, the term 'SIs' is also used to describe subordinates (often, this implies the subordinates are helpless in some way).  
>Fourth Point of Contact - an Airborne term that refers to the fourth area on the body to make contact with the ground after a successful jump, namely the rear. Colloquially, it refers to a person's ass, as it is typically used in a "pull your head out of your fourth point of contact" sort of way. That's about as PC as Soldiers get.<p>

* * *

><p>The office was dead silent, the tension thick as two women stared each other down, arms crossed over their chests while they silently fought a battle of wills. This was slowly becoming a common part of the school week for the three occupants of the Principal's office- two of them glaring at each other silently while the third waited for the dam to burst.<p>

Edna Mode watched from behind her desk, twirling her black stick in her fingers and observing the spectacle before her. Terry Brooks stood to one side, black suit crisp as ever, her shades just barely sliding down her nose with the force of her glare. Tamora Calhoun, on the other side, was wearing the school polo with jeans, a professional yet laid back style that struck a stark contrast to her fierce expression. They both kept their hair short out of habit more than anything, Tamora's blonde while Terry's was as brown as her eyes. The two were like yin and yang as far as appearance but it just made it all the easier to see them as the best of friends in the middle of a warzone.

"This is not optional, you know," Edna eventually said, though neither woman paid the comment any mind, as expected. All it did was break the silence and open the floodgates.

"This is _not_ in my job description!" Terry waved her hands in front of her. "Don't get me wrong, I'm willing to help if I can, but this is _seriously_ outside my skill set!"

"Come off it, Chief," Tamora replied, threading her fingers through her hair. "You're the only other member of the faculty-"

"See, that's the problem: _I'm not a member of the faculty_!" Terry pushing her shades up her nose in irritation. "I am the designated _security adviser_; I'm not a teacher or a coach or-"

Tamora rolled her eyes. "We're _both_ security advisers, Chief."

"Which means you are more than capable of handling this yourself!" Terry scowled, lowering her shades enough to meet Tamora's eyes without obstruction only to slide them back up a moment later. "I don't mind covering for you every now and then but this is the second time in a week!"

"You know damn well why, Chief." Tamora took a step closer to her friend.

"And while I admire your selflessness, _this crosses a line_!"

Edna rapped her stick against her oak desk, flapping her hand. "Gobble, gobble, gobble- we are not here to _talk_ about whether or not something _will_ happen!" She pointed her stick at Tamora. "You are here to make sure the important information is given." She switched to Terry. "And you are here to receive it."

The brunette groaned, removing her shades to massage the bridge of her nose. "How do I not have a choice in this?"

"I can't believe you're being such a namby-pamby." Tamora muttered, backing off and crossing her arms over her chest. "It's _just_ a competition!"

"It's a _cheerleading_ competition. There's a huge difference."

Edna rubbed at her temple with her free hand. She could cut in at any point and effectively put the issue to bed but it was often better to let the two have at each other until they came to an agreement or an impasse. They might've hung up the fatigues long ago but combat was in their natures and better they take out their frustrations on each other than the students.

"You're going to have to get over this aversion to school spirit at some point." Tamora rolled her eyes at the answering groan.

"It has nothing to do with school spirit!" Terry replaced her shades. "It has _everything_ to do with tight, enclosed spaces, loads of hair spray and perfume, high pitched squeak toys, and ridiculously loud noises and music and yelling." She paused, jabbing a finger at the blonde's chest. "_And_, that stupid polo is itchy."

"Yes, I have been meaning to redo the faculty uniforms, now that you mention it." Edna tapped her chin, then waved the concerns away. "Not important; right now, we must focus on the competition."

"But-"

"No buts!" Edna jumped onto her desk, bringing her eye level with both women. "I understand you have your differing opinions but you volunteered, Officer Brooks, to take a more active role this year."

"For the sake of enhancing student safety, yes," the woman replied. "But not at the cost of my own sanity!"

Tamora put a hand on her friend's shoulder. "Look, I promise it's not as bad as it sounds."

"Really? Because it sounds pretty bad." Terry shook her head. "Gunny, you're sending me into unknown territory without so much as a tactical knife to defend myself!"

"Oh, suck it up!" Tamora shoved Terry's shoulder. "Briar keeps the girls on a pretty tight leash when it comes to the competitions, even before she was the captain, and Roma is the co-captain."

"Comforting, but I'm not convinced." Terry smoothed out her suit's jacket and adjusted her tie. "If we're not expecting trouble and it's _just_ the cheer team, can't Incirrina take care of this? The competition takes place during the school day; if you're going to be off, who's going to pull security _here_?"

"For one, Chief, we always expect trouble." Tamora nodded to Edna as the shorter woman produced a tablet, handing it to the brunette. "For another, Ursula still has her class to teach and Sam is covering down on security for the school."

"Right, because Arrow is the very definition of 'child friendly'." Terry grumbled while looking over the tablet, brows furrowing as she read over the information.

"Andersen is the mascot, Chief. She'll be with the team, too." Tamora pointed out.

The brunette's brows furrowed even further as she adjusted her tie with one hand, still reading over the tablet. "Weselton won't make a move this soon, I made sure of that. He's still trying to pull the General's boot from his fourth point of contact."

"Are you willing to take that chance?" With a slight smile, Tamora threw an arm around her friend's shoulders. She could tell Terry's resolve was wavering, especially as she neared the end of the tablet's display. "You know better than anyone what we're dealing with here."

Terry pressed her lips into a thin line, obviously reconsidering her previous adamant refusal.

Which meant there was one last little nudge that would certainly tip the scale. "Although, if you're _that_ set against it..." Tamora sighed, running a hand through her hair. "_You_ could babysit Vanellope, Nemo, Dash, and Jack-Jack instead."

Terry's eyebrows shot up, her attention snapping to the blonde. "Where's this competition at again?"

* * *

><p>Anna sighed and flipped to the next page of her chemistry book as the bus rumbled along, concentrating as hard as she could with the dull roar of chatter in the background. Her concentration was broken the moment the open seat beside her was filled by Esmeralda, who was looking equal parts excited and nervous.<p>

Anna set the worksheet into the book to mark her page. It wasn't due until Thursday anyway.

While the team readily accepted her during practices, the cheerleaders still didn't socialize with Anna on a regular basis, leaving Esmeralda to act as the bridge between the team and the redheaded mascot. It was a bit of an odd process but they were making it work surprisingly well. Anna still wasn't entirely sure if her position as mascot would carry over into the following year but at least there was now a precedent for this sort of thing.

"How ya feelin', Supergirl?" Esmeralda smiled softly, motioning to Anna's leg. "Is your knee doing any better?"

"Oh, it's fine, really. I'm not worried about it," Anna replied, stretching her right leg out subconsciously. "I get banged up sometimes on my missions but it's nothing serious."

Esmeralda laughed, shaking her head. "You're the only person in the world who would consider jumping from a fourth floor window 'nothing serious', Anna."

"It's not like I had much choice!" The redhead defended, crossing her arms over her chest. "The foundation wasn't stable and the earthquake wasn't subsiding. It was either jump or get buried under drywall, steel, and concrete."

"I didn't even know they got earthquakes in... Africa?" The other girl shrugged, smiling awkwardly.

"Yeah." Anna returned the shrug, understanding that it was hard sometimes for her friends to keep up with which missions led her where. "It's pretty common for the Congo Republic, or so I was told."

At that, Esmeralda tilted her head to the side in confusion. "Wait, don't those tend to be, uh, quick? I mean, how'd you get from here to-"

"Oh, no, Kris and I were on our way back from another mission when the earthquake hit and stopped off to help. There was a super rare white lion that some conservationists found and they needed help putting a tracker on him."

The redhead smiled as her companion blinked rapidly, trying to make sense of the words and the flippant way they were said. "You... put a tracker on a lion?"

"Well, no, Kristoff did that, actually. He's better with animals than I am," Anna said, with a laugh. "Between him and Sven, animal requests don't really give us too much trouble."

Esmeralda raised a brow. "So... you went to Africa to put a tracker on a wild white lion and, on the way back, saw an earthquake destroying a town and said 'hey, let's stop and evacuate a few buildings real quick'?"

Anna blinked a few times, then nodded. "Yeah, pretty much."

"Huh." She shook her head. "You know, when we initially gave you the 'Supergirl' moniker, I never thought you'd take it so literally."

Anna rolled her eyes. "It's not that big a deal. Kristoff was there too!"

"Given how often he complains about rushing headlong into danger, I don't think he would've stopped to help."

"That's just him being modest," the redhead replied, waving off the comment dismissively. "He always complains about things; that's just his personality."

"Whatever you say."

"Look, _I'm_ just glad we were able to run through the routine a couple times before I had to leave." Anna breathed a silent sigh of relief as Esmeralda seemed to accept the change of topic.

"The routine is good, right?" Esmeralda's brows drew together slightly, her nerves shining through ever so slightly.

"Are you kidding? I think it's great!" Anna clapped her hands together. "It's so high energy! And everyone just _snaps_ into the moves! It's seriously amazing!"

"Glad you think so." Esmeralda laughed at Anna's enthusiasm and sighed. "It seriously took all summer cheer camp to convince Aurora to incorporate the moves. She's still not sold on them, I think, even if she's more confident about the routine now."

"Nah, she just needed to see them in action." Anna winked. "I mean, come on, a bunch of fit teenage girls moving like that, who could resist?"

"You're incorrigible!" Esmeralda laughed.

"That's the same as encouragable, right?"

She laughed even harder. "That's not even a word!"

Anna shrugged, joining the other girl in laughing. She was working on improving her bantering and this was as good a chance as any to get some practice in, especially when she already exhausted her close friends over the week.

Once Esmeralda could control herself again, she nudged the redhead's shoulder. "So, you think the routine's gonna blow the competition away? Even if it's a bit unorthodox?"

"Absolutely," Anna replied. "I mean, we're the Arendelle Mountain Dogs! Trail blazing is what we do, right?"

"Doesn't that usually involve a blizzard though?" Esmeralda joked, noting the sudden twinkle that appeared in the redhead's eyes. "You okay, Supergirl?"

"Yup! Totally okay!" Anna offered the other girl a restrained grin. "Just excited for Ice- snow and all those, uh, wintery things, ya know?"

The other girl laughed, shaking her head. "I guess you'll never run out of things to get excited about, huh?"

Anna shrugged, privately celebrating her victory in averting-

"_Or_ does it have something to do with that girl you have a crush on?"

The redhead groaned, leaning forward and setting her forehead against the barrier in front of her. "You too?"

"Come on." Esmeralda laughed and gently rubbed her shoulder. "Supergirl found her Lois Lane; how is that _not_ top news in Arendelle?"

The redhead furrowed her brows. "I'm not a superhero buff or anything, but I'm pretty sure Lois Lane-"

"You totally know what I meant, so any objection you have is irrelevant," Esmeralda said, a smile on her lips as she got up. "One of these days, you're going to have to tell me all about her."

With that, she left Anna alone, returning to her seat closer to Aurora. The redhead sighed, unable to keep herself from grinning. The more people needled her about her crush, the more motivated she felt to act on it. Ice Queen and The Prince hadn't made another appearance since the Cheyenne Mountain incident but she took comfort in Kristoff's argument that they'd be back at it soon. Almost two weeks had passed; surely The Prince had another plot in the works by now.

She barely resisted reaching for her communications device, instead reaching for her phone and sending a text off to her best friend. Bulda was pestering him to invite her over for dinner and tomorrow was a pretty good bet, seeing as her own parents said they'd be home late, but they hadn't set anything up before she had to leave for the competition. As much as she was looking forward to the Bjogmans' dinner- there was always so much _food_- she was looking forward to her father's smoked salmon even more. Family dinner at the Andersen house was always an awesome event and she was _so_ looking forward to it.

* * *

><p>Kristoff shouldered his bag and hit the door a little harder than was necessary as he left the school. He didn't like to think of himself as clingy or dependent but, well, school days without Anna were just so <em>boring<em>! True, Merida and Mulan kept him company during lunch, and Rapunzel was starting to join them more often which was nice, but he missed his best friend.

Well, his other best friend, seeing as his _best_ friend couldn't come on school property without Principal Mode pitching a fit, and today was not a day to get on the faculty's bad side. Officer Brooks might be stern and a bit harsh but at least she could be reasonable. Plus, Sven liked Officer Brooks for some reason; Deputy Arrow, on the other hand, was a whole different story.

"Bjorgman!"

Speak of the devil.

Kristoff groaned, turning around to see Deputy Arrow striding towards him. The man looked like he was cut from stone- square jaw, barrel chest, and all. In his deputy uniform, the man was even more intimidating, the badge on his chest catching the light just right to make Kristoff wince. "Yes, Deputy Arrow?"

"Your animal has been skirting the perimeter of the school grounds all day." Deputy Arrow narrowed his eyes down at Kristoff, standing a full head taller than the boy. "He thinks he's being clever by hiding but, I assure you, I am not so easily fooled."

"Really? I haven't seen Sven at all." Kristoff defended, shifting his backpack higher on his shoulder. "I don't see him right now, in fact."

Deputy Arrow put a firm hand on his shoulder and forced him to turn around. There, just past a chain link fence, was a vaguely reindeer shaped bush, complete with odd, antler looking branches sticking out the top. "He's not as subtle as he thinks he is."

Kristoff shrugged out of the Deputy's grasp. "Well, he's not _on_ school property, so he's not doing anything wrong!"

"I'm onto you, Bjorgman." Deputy Arrow warned, his face severe. "Where's your counterpart, anyway? Skipping school?"

"Anna's with the cheer team; she's the school mascot," Kristoff said through gritted teeth.

Deputy Arrow was a hardass, no questions about it and everyone in town knew it. While Sheriff Smollet could be a bit of a hardass too, she was more than willing to overlook the teens' hobby seeing as she'd lived in Arendelle all her life. Deputy Arrow, on the other hand, only came to town five years ago or so and wasn't as adjusted to their adventures. Kristoff couldn't _count_ how many times Sheriff Smollet had escorted him and Anna home after something or other when they were younger, vaguely proud while admonishing them about the dangers they were willingly facing.

Deputy Arrow was much less forgiving, especially after that first altercation. He vividly remembered when the Sheriff showed up, taking in the scene, then giving them a smile, saying they were old enough to be virtuously reckless without having her nag them about it. Deputy Arrow had tried his best to hide his surprise at the comment, certain his superior would side with him on the matter while the teens beamed like they'd won a medal and Sven pranced right up to the Sheriff and gave the woman a hearty lick.

Ever since then, it seemed like the man had it out for them. Anna was certain he'd let up eventually but, given the look Kristoff was receiving that very moment, he truly doubted it.

"Deputy Arrow!" A familiar voice suddenly called out, snapping their attention to the school's entrance where Principal Mode was striding towards them quickly. "Is there a specific reason you're detaining Bjorgman?"

"His brute of an animal has been hanging around the school grounds," the Deputy replied, drawing himself to his full height. "Per your orders-"

"What are you, a parrot? I know what I told you." Principal Mode rolled her eyes, waving her stick at the man. "Are you telling me you couldn't keep a reindeer off school grounds, Arrow? Brooks never has trouble. Should she give you extra training when she returns?"

"That won't be necessary." The man growled out as she made a show of looking around.

"I see no reindeer. Where is this reindeer, Arrow?"

"That flea ridden mongrel-"

"Hey! He doesn't have fleas!" Kristoff huffed, earning the attention of both adults. "He doesn't. And neither do I, in case that wasn't clear."

"Good to know." The Principal drawled before refocusing on the Deputy. "Now, why are you detaining the student after school hours? Is he in trouble?"

"Not yet," Deputy Arrow replied, crossing his arms over his chest as he peered down at Principal Mode. "But the boy's a trouble maker, through and through."

"He punched you in the nose four years ago; you need to let go of these things, dahling." Principal Mode shook her head as the Deputy sputtered indignantly, discreetly waving Kristoff away as she became the focus of the man's indignation. "Speak, you ninny! All I hear are syllables. String them together!"

Kristoff slowly backed away until he was certain Deputy Arrow wasn't paying attention to his movements, then turned and walked briskly to the parking lot. The sooner he got away, the better. The moment he was at the sidewalk, just a few steps from the parking lot, he heard a soft snort coming from... the opposite direction of the reindeer shaped bush.

Whipping his head to the side, the blond caught sight of Sven crouching behind Adam's beat up truck, tongue lolling out victoriously.

"Guess Deputy Arrow should give you a little more credit, huh?" Kristoff smiled, accepting the head butt to his chest that served as Sven's greeting. "Missed you too, buddy. Ready to go home?"

Sven brayed, falling into step with his bipedal counterpart as they left the school behind them.

"By the way, have you been kissing up to Principal Mode?" He raised a brow at his friend. "I think that's the first time she's ever stuck up for you."

The reindeer snorted, shaking his head slightly.

"If you say so." Kristoff shrugged, rubbing along his chin. "Maybe she's just trying to give us a little space because of the whole Colonel Weaseltown thing."

Sven shot him a look which prompted Kristoff to roll his eyes.

"Don't push your luck, buddy. I know you want to be there and give that guy a hoof to the face, personally, but..." Sven threw his head and the blond nodded. "Exactly. Until she officially removes the ban on pets, stay off the grounds."

The reindeer made a few grunts.

"Thanks, buddy." He slung his arm around the reindeer's shoulders for a hug, listening to Sven as they separated. "Nah, probably not." His brows furrowed as they turned up the road leading out of town and to the Bjorgman lands. "I mean, this is the first day Officer Brooks has missed for a while, and it was only because of the cheer competition. Why do you care though?"

Sven lolled his tongue.

"Okay, _that_ I don't believe one bit!" Kristoff laughed. "She's always so... stern and serious." At Sven's answering snort, the blond rolled his eyes. "_I've_ never seen her smile but _you_ have? As our beloved Anna would say: nope, still not buying it."

Sven brayed, motioning towards the mountains in the distance.

"She'll be back soon. The competition wrapped up before fifth period, so she should make it home in time for dinner." Kristoff grimaced, looking to his friend at the same time as something dawned on Sven, prompting the reindeer to tilt his head and drop his shoulder. The blond took the help in mounting, grumbled to no one in particular. "I totally forgot about Mom asking me to muck out the main stables! If I don't get it done before dinner, she'll skin me!"

Sven brayed again, earning a chuckle from his friend.

"Of course you can help! That's what friends are for, right?"

* * *

><p>Much as Anna expected, they <em>rocked<em> the competition. It was only a qualifier, of course, so there weren't any places, but they totally blew the other teams out of the water!

Okay, maybe they weren't _that_ spectacular- Aurora and Esmeralda were harsh about their critiques, and nerves had gotten the better of a few girls- but they still had the most original routine. Both the captain and co-captain were hard at work brainstorming the next routine somewhere behind Anna.

Personally, the redhead was just thankful they were heading back to Arendelle. She'd finished her homework already so she could take some much needed time to relax after a delicious dinner. She enjoyed being active and engaged and, well, busy, but there were times when the crazy pace of her day-to-day life wore on her a bit and she needed some time to pretend she was a couch potato.

Then again, if she caught a nap now, she could use the time after dinner to clean up her room a bit and read ahead for English. That actually sounded like a good idea; it could never hurt to stay a bit ahead, given how close they were getting to the playoff season in softball. Plus, she was hoping for a mission soon involving a certain blonde and those always took up a considerable block of time.

Just as Anna settled herself comfortably in the seat and allowed her eyes to slide closed, the bus lurched, the dull drone of the motor dying as the lights went as well. Officer Brooks cursed quietly as she steered the vehicle onto the shoulder of the road. The formerly dull roar of chatter raised in volume as alarm spread through the team.

"Calm down, girls, it's nothing to worry about." Aurora's voice cut above the din, prompting Anna to look over her shoulder. Both Aurora and Esmeralda were standing up, smiling as reassuringly as they could as the bus rocked to a stop.

Esmeralda took the cue from her captain. "She's right, girls, we're fine. Let's all just stay calm and we'll back on our way in no time!"

"I hope it's that easy." Officer Brooks mumbled, throwing the bus in park and opening the door with a hiss of hydraulics to accompany it. As the woman began looking over the bus, Anna took note of the area.

They were winding through one of the narrower passes through the Rockies, the bus hugging the guardrail that separated the road from a very sheer drop. There were a few trees dotting the mountainside below them, catching the dying rays of sunlight in their foliage. The view would be breathtaking in winter, when snow covered it, and Anna hoped they'd be able to come back this way then to see it. The Alps were cool and all but nothing could beat the beauty of her Rockies in the winter, but she was probably biased.

On the other side of the road, appearing to be cut from the mountain itself, was a lavish- if in slight disrepair- Victorian styled home, with cute, lantern-styled lights along the front porch. It looked abandoned other than those points of light and the driveway that lead back behind the house and further into the mountain's face was devoid of vehicles.

The bus creaked and groaned as Officer Brooks pulled the hood forward to take a look at the motor. She frowned and stepped back into the bus, removing her suit's jacket to reveal the white button down underneath, removing her tie and setting the items in the driver's seat. As she rolled up her sleeves, she turned her attention to the bus filled with teenage girls.

"Alright, looks like a simple fix. Just no sudden motions; I don't need the bus rocking while I'm working on it."

"Would it be easier if we got off?" Anna offered after noting the sounds of displeasure coming from behind her.

"I don't think that'll be-"

"We could go to that house. Looks like an inn of some sort," Snow said, looking through the bus window.

"It looks dirty," Cinderella said, nose scrunching up in distaste. "I don't like it."

"Look, no one's getting off the bus," Brooks said, brows furrowing slightly. "That house is unknown terrain-"

"Then let it be known." A new voice suddenly cut in, causing Brooks to turn sharply, one hand balling into a fist while the other began reaching for her hip on instinct.

Anna tensed slightly at the sudden movement but wasn't distressed, unlike a few other girls who gasped; Couch Calhoun did that sometimes too after sudden loud noises, especially deep bangs. It was just muscle memory, that's all. School security officers didn't carry weapons anyway, not at Arendelle, so there was no reason to be worried.

Brooks pulled herself together and coughed into her hand, checking her watch. "Who are you?"

"I do apologize for startling you, my dear." Anna peeked over the barrier in front of her to see the woman who was addressing Officer Brooks.

She seemed significantly older than the security officer, with grey hair, some very deep wrinkles, tasteful make-up, and very vivid green eyes, though they seemed a bit sunken in. Geez, _seriously_ bright green eyes. She was wearing a somewhat outdated, high necked dress and large earrings that matched those really bright eyes.

"I am Lady Tremaine and that's my home across the street. I open it to travelers, from time to time, given how very... removed this location is from the nearest town in either direction." Lady Tremaine shrugged a shoulder with elegant nonchalance. "I typically don't find someone broken down outside my abode this time of year but I extend your girls the courtesy all the same."

Brooks frowned, checking her watch again. "While I... appreciate your offer, Missus Tremaine-"

"Lady, please." Lady Tremaine chuckled at Officer Brooks' raised eyebrow. "Forgive an old woman her eccentricities."

"Right." Officer Brooks frowned. "Well, Lady Tremaine, while we appreciate the offer, I'm sure I can have the bus running again in no time. I'd rather not have my SIs- I mean, the kids out of my sight if I can help it."

Lady Tremaine nodded and offered a smile that didn't quite reach her eyes. "Of course, I understand." She turned to leave but paused just outside the bus door. "My offer stands, though, if you change your mind."

As Lady Tremaine began making her way around the front of the bus, Aurora spoke up. "Officer Brooks, I think we should take her up on her hospitality."

Officer Brooks appeared to mull over the idea a moment. "I don't like it." The woman shook her head. "I'm responsible for all of you."

"I don't think any of us have reason to be scared of an old lady," Esmeralda said, hiking a thumb towards the house. "Besides, it's not like we're running off or anything. We'll be right inside, we'll be out of your hair while you work, _and_ we can stretch our legs a bit."

Snow cringed. "We _have_ been on the bus for over an hour."

Brooks opened her mouth to reply to the growing roar of agreement but stopped as her watch began to beep. Checking the device with a grimace and silencing it, she ran a hand through her hair before calling out above the noise. "Briar, Roma, Andersen, outside."

Anna, as the closest to the door, was the first off the bus, Aurora and Esmeralda two steps behind her. The three girls waited as Brooks sighed heavily. "Look, I don't like it, but it _will_ make things easier for me while I'm fixing the bus. I'm putting you three in charge- Briar, you take half the squad, and Roma, the other half. Andersen, you pick up the rear and make sure no one wanders off. Keep accountability. Once this bucket of bolts is ready to roll, I want to be able to find you lot quickly, understand?"

The three girls nodded with Aurora speaking up. "We'll be fine, Officer Brooks."

"Right. But if at any point that status changes, one of you comes out here to get me, no hesitation, am I clear?" They nodded again and the woman sighed, shaking her head. "I don't like this situation so _be careful_while you're in there."

"You can count on us," Esmeralda said with a smile, turning to head back on the bus and deliver the news with Aurora. Anna just waited, smiling as she looked out at the view.

"At least we broke down somewhere pretty." She swept a hand towards the mountains surrounding them dotted with trees and bathed in moonlight.

"Optimists." Officer Brooks exhaled loudly through her nose. "You people are the bane of my existence."

Anna laughed as the squad started leaving the bus, collecting on the side of the road and dashing across in twos and threes until they were all standing before the house. Aurora and Esmeralda exchanged nervous looks- most of the girls seemed a bit intimidated by the large double doors, actually- but Anna just walked up the steps and knocked using the large brass knockers.

Seriously, if she could charge into a lair ready to explode at the press of a button on a monthly basis, knocking on a door was a walk in the park.

The doors creaked open to reveal Lady Tremaine standing just inside, her eyes just as bright as they fell on Anna and the squad at her back.

Crap, now Anna had to say something. She hadn't thought of anything prior to knocking and her first instinct was to ramble which would, most likely, lead to her saying something silly. So, she should definitely not do that, especially since most of the spontaneous comments hanging out in the back of her mind were tangentially related to her current goal of hitting on Ice Queen, a situation decidedly not anywhere close to the one she found herself in currently.

Thankfully- and somewhat surprisingly- Aurora came to her rescue. "Lady Tremaine, we hate to impose, but would it be alright if we came inside for a little bit? Just until Officer Brooks fixes our bus?"

"Why, of course, my dear. Please," she said, stepping aside and gesturing into the dimly lit house. "Do come in."

Anna took the first step but Aurora was with her an instant later, the rest of the group slowly filing in. Suddenly remembering what Officer Brooks said, Anna waited until the last girl was in before following, doing a quick head count to ensure everyone was there.

Lady Tremaine led them through the main foyer, candles lining the walls casting an eerie light across the space. Ahead of her, the redhead could hear whispered bits of conversation among the other girls.

"See? I told you this place looked dirty."

"Cindy! It could use a little... sprucing up but it's not _that_ bad!"

"Snow, not everyone lives for cleaning the way you do."

"Ladies!" Aurora hissed, shooting a warning glare over her shoulder.

"Oh, it's quite alright, my dears." Lady Tremaine glanced over her shoulder, a small smile on her lips. "I admit I've been... slacking, as of late, in certain household duties. My daughters have been less than attentive to their chores seeing as I haven't been reminding them as usual. Isn't that right girls?"

Anna looked up, noticing two figures standing at the top of a staircase that led to the second floor of the house. Wearing dressed similar to their mother's, the two girls didn't _seem_ be much older than the teens, though... well, the darker haired of the two looked as if her skin was stretched far to tight over her features, eyes sunken in a little bit, while the other appeared extremely apprehensive. They were... creepy.

In all her travels, Anna had come across some very interesting characters. She understood that there were a lot of very unique individuals in the world, some of whom had quirks or traits that would make them the definition of strange in other corners of the world. It probably helped that Anna was just a friendly person naturally; as a general rule, it took _a lot_ for someone to unnerve her.

So, for these two girls to instantly strike her as _creepy_ was saying something, and the sensation that Aurora and the rest of the cheer squad were trying to press themselves back against her pretty much cemented it in her mind and set her nerves on edge.

She briefly wondered if she should suggest getting back on the bus but tried to squash it. She was probably overreacting; this was totally something they could handle.

"Drizella, Anastasia, come say hello to our guests." Lady Tremaine called them down, turning towards a set of double doors. "Entertain them while I prepare the sitting room."

"Yes, Mother," the girls replied in unison, descending the stairs awkwardly. Almost like they had forgotten how to go down stairs without falling face first, their hands gripping the railing far too tightly. The closing of the door behind Lady Tremaine echoed in the hall and caused more than one of the cheerleaders to flinch.

Once they reached the ground floor, the sisters stared at the cheerleaders as an uneasy silence settled over them. The redheaded one watched them with a hint of sadness while the raven haired of the two had something more akin to anticipation shining in her eyes.

Anna took a deep breath and smiled. Creepiness aside, they were being hospitable. Aurora was the first to introduce herself, trying to set an example for the rest of the team.

"Hi, my name's Aurora." She stepped forward, offering her hand. The two other girls regarded her a moment before the redheaded one stepped forward.

"Anastasia." She put her hand in Aurora's but didn't shake it, instead dropping into a curtsy.

Before the cheer captain had a chance to respond, Anastasia's sister was shoving her out of the way. "And I'm Drizella. Forgive my younger sister; she has horrible manners."

"I do not!" the younger sister said with a pout, crossing her arms over her chest.

"Anyway, where are you lovely girls from?" Drizella raked her eyes over the cheerleaders before settling on Anna, a vaguely predatory smile gracing her lips. "Athletes, are you? You all look very... fit."

Jasmine coughed discreetly into her hand. "Lesbo alert."

Cinderella hushed her almost immediately, though Drizella showed no signs of hearing the poorly concealed comment.

"Drizella, dear, perhaps you could help me fetch the tea?" Lady Tremaine had appeared in the foyer once more without a sound.

While the elder sister seemed upset at the request, she nodded slowly. "Of course, Mother."

"Anastasia, show them to the sitting room."

"Yes, Mother." The younger sister nodded, walking towards the double doors as Lady Tremaine and Drizella disappeared down a hallway. Anna was the last to enter, the other girls finding places to sit in the room. It was dusty and the furniture seemed ripped in some places, the material an ugly brown color that had most of the squad turning their noses up.

Suddenly, Anna felt a vice-like grip encircle her arm. "You have to leave."

She turned her head, met with eyes as vividly green as Lady Tremaine's. "I'm sorry?"

"All of you, you must leave," Anastasia said again, eyes darting towards the doors. "This place- you must leave."

"Wait, what?" Anna shook her head, watching several emotions play over the other girl's features. It was like she was trying to say something but couldn't force the words out.

"Come now, Drizella, we mustn't keep them waiting." Lady Tremaine's voice was soft coming from the hallway and Anastasia looked even more panicked.

"Don't drink the tea." She all but hissed before releasing Anna and stepping away.

Anna rubbed her arm absently as she made her way over to Aurora and Esmeralda, lowering her voice so only the two girls could hear her. "Hey, guys? I'm getting a really bad feeling about all this."

Both girls seemed nervous and nodded slowly. Aurora spoke up, scratching at the back of her neck. "Yeah, this place is pretty... weird."

"And not the good weird." Esmeralda picked at her nails. "That Drizella chick was coming on way too strong. Maybe that's all it is?"

"Anastasia said we should leave and to not drink the tea." Anna scanned the room. She wasn't much for horror films but... she definitely felt like she was in the middle of one. "Maybe we should've listened to Officer Brooks."

The three girls exchanged worried glances as they took in the state of the team; no one seemed at ease in the room, including Anastasia.

"We'll excuse ourselves, politely, when Lady Tremaine returns." Esmeralda and Anna nodded as Aurora continued. "If there is something weird going on, we wouldn't want them to think we caught on."

"Drizella, come dear, pull yourself together." Lady Tremaine's voice was much louder now.

"Tell the others, quietly, and I'll try distracting Lady Tremaine," Anna said, receiving a nod from Esmeralda and Aurora. The three moved, the other two girls to whisper in the ears of the rest of the squad while Anna faced the double doors and steeled her nerves.

She really hoped Officer Brooks would have the bus fixed by the time they got out there.

* * *

><p>Kristoff swiped at his brow, glancing through the open stable doors at the fading light of the sunset. Finally, he was done; every stall was cleaned, the water was changed, fresh feed- hay, alfalfa, and special blends for those that needed them- was placed, and he'd even managed to rearrange the tack room before sunset. Once everyone was back in their stalls, he could go in and get cleaned up with plenty of time for dinner.<p>

Setting aside the broom in his hand, Kristoff started towards the entrance of the stables, glancing around to confirm there was nothing out of place. Pushing open the stable door, the blond scanned the horizon until he found Sven standing at the crest of a hill near one of the fields. He'd left it to his friend to take the horses and reindeer out to pasture while he cleaned the stable, trusting Sven to keep a close eye on everyone in the meantime. Kristoff tried waving his arms to get the reindeer's attention but Sven was focused on the field. Rather than calling out to him, Kristoff started the short trek up to his friend's position, a small grin on his lips. Whatever had Sven's attention was probably worth checking out anyway.

"Hey, buddy, what's up?" Kristoff called out once he was a few feet away, earning Sven's attention as the reindeer started prancing in place, jerking his head towards the field. The blond's brows climbed to his hairline, face split in a wide smile. "No way, really?"

Sven brayed, leaping towards the field and rolling his head to encourage Kristoff to follow. The boy raced after him, speeding down the hill and towards the collection of horses and reindeer arranged along the fence marking the far end of the field. His approach garnered minimal interest from the animals, their gazes directed to the edge of the forest just beyond the Bjorgman property, though two of the older mares shifted over to give him and Sven enough room to stand against the barbed wire lined fence.

There, at the edge of the forest that led into the mountains, was a fawn struggling to stand, its mother looking on from beside it. A bit further into the underbrush, Kristoff could make out the silhouette of a large stag, and he inclined his head in respect- a gesture which was returned- before settling his gaze on the fawn.

"Come on, little guy, you can do it," Kristoff said, earning the fawn's attention. Large, bright eyes focused on him, blinking a few times before the fawn struggled to its hooves. "Yeah, that's it, you can do it!"

The fawn's mother made soft, encouraging noises as the baby deer took his first tentative steps, echoed by the assembled horses, reindeer, Sven, and Kristoff.

"There ya go, just like that!"

The fawn stumbled at first, but his second and third attempts gave him a tentative sort of balance, and then he was walking alongside his mother, ears perking up as all those assembled cheered. Sven pranced, tongue lolling out of his mouth as he and Kristoff followed the fawn's progress, the other reindeer and horses throwing their heads in congratulations. The doe and fawn gave Kristoff and the others one last look, the doe lowering her head briefly, before they disappeared back into forest where the rest of their herd was grazing nearby, most likely.

Kristoff punched Sven's shoulder. "Why didn't you come get me? There's going to be a new Prince of the Forest! That's awesome!"

The reindeer gave him a sheepish grin, grunting a bit before nudging his shoulder gently.

"You got caught up, I get it. But still," Kristoff replied, rolling his eyes. He then raised his voice so every horse and reindeer could hear him. "Alright, everyone, time to head in for the night! Come on, back to the stables!"

A few neighs and brays answered him before all the animals started heading towards the stables, Kristoff and Sven bringing up the rear.

* * *

><p>Anna kept her smile in place as Lady Tremaine and Drizella entered with trays laden with two tea pots... but only four cups. Something was definitely not right about the situation and the redhead was bound and determined to get everyone back to the bus before things got out of hand.<p>

"I'm sorry, Lady Tremaine." Anna motioned towards the rest of the team. "We thank you for your hospitality but we should really be going."

"Oh, so soon? We haven't even had tea yet." Lady Tremaine set her tray on the table behind Anna.

"There aren't enough cups for all of us." Jamsine pointed out quietly from her position with the rest of the cheer team.

"I was about to fetch some more, but seeing as you are all so eager to depart, I suppose we can skip the formality." Lady Tremaine gave the girls a chilling smile. "None of you are leaving here alive."

As shock over took most of the cheer team, Anna was in motion, ready to tackle Lady Tremaine- if needed- to give the other girls opportunity to escape. Before she could reach the woman, though, Drizella was in front of her, eyes shining brightly. The redhead felt her muscles freeze, an alien force taking over her body and preventing her from moving further.

"Oh no, not you." Drizella laughed, smiling at the redhead. "You'll be joining us here, my pet."

Anna fought against her own body but could feel even her will to fight slipping away as something began to take over.

"That's right. Surrender to me." Drizella chuckled, those bright green eyes becoming the only things Anna could see as darkness crept in around the edges of her vision.

Lady Tremaine leaned closer to Aurora, examining her face while allowing her own lips to part in a sickening smile, revealing long fangs. "Such pretty girls, so young and full of life." She slowly stepped around to look at a the others- Cinderella, Jasmine, Snow- all of whom were frozen in place, just like Anna. Lady Tremaine looked over to her other daughter, frowning slightly. "Anastasia, darling, come, choose the ones you want to feed from. Don't dally now; we've still got the one outside to contend with."

Anastasia took a hesitant step forward, then stopped. "Mother... I don't want to do this anymore."

"Nonsense; we do what we must to survive." Lady Tremaine narrowed her eyes, glancing at her other daughter. "Restrain yourself, Drizella. If you start too soon, she'll bleed out before I can turn her."

Drizella growled, retreating from Anna's neck slightly. "Hurry up, Anastasia. Pick your meals so we can get _on_ with this!" She flashed her sister a wicked smile. "Unless you want a playmate too?"

"No, I don't want to do this anymore, any of it!" Anastasia sighed. "Can't we let them go?"

Lady Tremaine's frowned worsened in severity. "You ungrateful child. I hand you immortality and you spit on my gift like this?" She scowled at her redheaded daughter and Anastasia's posture suddenly straightened, though it was very clear she was fighting against her own body as much as Anna. "Now, you come over here and eat your dinner. Not one more word against this."

Tense seconds ticked by as Anastasia stood firmly against her mother's will, irking the elder woman greatly. After three full minutes, the battle of wills seemed over.

"Yes... Mother..." Anastasia hollowly replied, stiffly moving towards the frozen cheer team.

"That's a good girl. Now then, I- oof!" Somehow, Jasmine broke free of the spell that held the other girls in place and slammed into Lady Tremaine's back. She pitched forward, arms out, and accidentally shoved Drizella in the process. As Drizella stumbled away, her concentration broke, freeing Anna from her spell. The redhead instantly shook her head, blinking rapidly to regain her faculties.

"Anna, Anna, we gotta go!" Jasmine cried, trying desperately to snap the rest of the squad from their trance to no avail.

Lady Tremaine pushed herself up, glaring at Jasmine. "Someone's proving a bit... resistant."

"Jasmine! Don't look her in the eyes!" Anna called out, training her gaze on Drizella's feet as the... vampire, apparently, stood. "Keep out of her reach! I'll be there in a second!"

"What makes you think you _have_ a second left?" Drizella lunged forward like a predator striking its prey but Anna was more than ready. Side stepping the lunge, the redhead brought her knee up sharply, knocking the wind from Drizella, and followed through with an elbow to the back of her head. Surprisingly, it had the desired effect, rendering the vampire unconscious as she fell to the floor.

"Wow, that was... really easy." Anna quirked a brow at Drizella's prone form, half-expecting the vampire to rise again the moment she turned her back.

"No, they haven't... fed in a long while," Anastasia said, propping herself up against the wall. "Mother's weak too but she won't be as easy."

Anna nodded, looking to where Lady Tremaine stood, her back to the redhead. "Right. Any tips?"

Anastasia shrugged. "Don't let her bite you?"

Well, that was kinda obvious, but Anna merely nodded, approaching Lady Tremaine with her fists raised and ready to start swinging. Her gaze was focused on the bottom of the woman's dress, waiting for Lady Tremaine to make the first move. After a pause, Anna took the chance and glanced up, noting the older vampire was staring at Jasmine... who was meeting the hypnotic gaze with a fierce glare of her own.

"Jasmine? Jas, can you hear me?"

"Just fine, Anna," the other girl replied, lips curling into a grin. "Her spell doesn't work on me."

"Impossible!" Lady Tremaine growled, veins protruding from her neck as her eyes began positively _glowing_.

Anastasia shrugged in response to Anna's questioning glance, leaving the redhead to slowly circle around, keeping her guard up. Lady Tremaine was _trembling_ with the force she was using to glare at Jasmine, who matched her in severity if not intensity.

Anna bit her lip. Natural disasters? No problem. Ice powers? She could deal. Vampires? Completely different ball game. There were the obvious things, of course- row of garlic, stake through the heart, holy water, that sort of stuff- but... she didn't want to _kill_ someone! Even if that someone was a member of the blood sucking undead. So... what _could_ she do?

"Anna." The redhead turned her head at the whisper, noting the pained expression on Anastasia's face. "I think I can stop her but I need your help."

"If it saves my team, let's do it," Anna replied without hesitation.

* * *

><p>Kristoff took a deep breath, reaching for that happy place deep in the back of his mind now that he was clean and in a fresh change of clothes. Dinner was always something of a big deal for the Bjorgmans, unless they had guests over. Then, all his cousins actually minded their manners, his mother had someone else to pester with her personal version of twenty questions, and whichever of his aunts and uncles were present acted like... well, <em>adults<em> for a change. Anna was, of course, their most frequent dinner guest for many reasons, chief of which being that she didn't buckle under Bulda's battery of questions like nearly every sane human being on the planet would be wont to do in the same situation.

However, when it was just the family, there was no way of describing the chaos that consumed the dinner table. It was like being all alone in the middle of the ocean during a shark feeding frenzy; all logic said 'swim away, very quickly' but there was no safe place for him to abscond to, no safe haven in sight, so he just had to keep his head above water.

Okay, maybe he was being a _little_ dramatic. His family wasn't that bad. They meant well, at any rate. He loved them, of course, even if they were loud and inappropriate and made him want to die of embarrassment at times. But everyone dealt with that from their family, right? Yeah.

"You ready for dinner, buddy?" Kristoff looked to Sven as they stood on the safe and sane side of his bedroom door. Sven had his own stall in the main stable but he hadn't actually used it in... ever, really. Except for that one time when Sven got sick and Kristoff had slept in the stall with him until he got better.

Sven brayed, lolling his tongue.  
>"I wish I had your enthusiasm," Kristoff replied, opening the door and allowing his friend to exit first. He was a few steps behind, eyes peeled for the first sign of a sneak attack. They made it to the ground floor before the tiny terrors struck.<p>

"KRISTOFF!"

Crap.

Kristoff groaned as several small bodies attached themselves to his legs, clambering over each other to reach his waist and arms. He tried calling out for help, but Sven was already doing his best to maintain his balance as a cousin swung from each antler, a few more clamoring onto his back.

"Guys, come on! Easy!" Kristoff groused, rocking himself left and right in order to make tiny steps forward, enough to shut the door behind him. "Seriously! I can't take one step-"

"Hey, nephew!" One of his uncles suddenly came and wrapped him up in a bear hug. Uncle Scuttle married into the Bjorgman family but practically no one outside the family knew that, given he acted just as unbelievably embarrassing as Kristoff's blood relatives. "How was klazvach?"

"School, Uncle Scuttle. It's called school," the blond replied, trying to keep the irritation out of his voice.

"Eh, close enough!" Uncle Scuttle laughed, clapping Kristoff on the back hard enough to nearly send him pitching forward, the squirming of his cousins doing nothing for his balance. "Now, where's my snarfblat?"

"Pipe, Uncle Scuttle! It's a pipe!"

"Snarfblat!"

Kristoff groaned. "Why do I even try?" Glancing at his cousins, whom he'd tuned out by force of habit, he raised his voice just a bit to be sure they heard him. "Alright, get off of me everyone, or _no one_ gets a bedtime story!"

That did the trick. Almost instantly, he was released, several pairs of eyes blinking up at him innocently. Sven, on the other hand, still had a few passengers who abandoned their perches at Kristoff's raised brow.

"Kristoff! Did you clean the stables?" His mother called from the kitchen as he started corralling his cousins into the dining room.

"Yes, Mom, and everyone's put up for the night."

"Good! Then we can finally start dinner!" His mother appeared in the doorway, looking haggard but pleased. "Alright, mini Bjorgs, get moving! Group A, cups, pitchers, and pots! Group B, plates! Group C, utensils! Kristoff, round up the rest!"

"Aye aye!" Several of his cousins sounded off, the Bjorgman clan bursting into motion. Unlike his cousins, who seemed to be clumped together in age groups, Kristoff was elder to them all and on his own; the nearest to him were the nine-to-ten-year-olds, otherwise known as Group A.

As his cousins set the table and started bringing the food in, Kristoff set off on his quest around the house, gathering up his more reluctant cousins and his wayward Aunts and Uncles, or those who were home at any rate. By the time he got back to the dining room, his cousins were- more or less- seated, the table was set and laden with pots of noodles and various sauces, plus a plate or two of garlic bread, and his Uncle Scuttle was explaining to one of the younger cousins about 'dinglehoppers'.

"For pity's sake; it's a _fork_ Uncle Scuttle! We've been over this!" Kristoff sat heavily in his own seat, running a hand through his hair before reaching for a pitcher of tea on the table.

"That reminds me." Uncle Scuttle muttered something to himself as he checked his pockets, producing an envelope from his coat. "This correspondence came for you from Canadia."

"Canada." Kristoff absentmindedly corrected, grabbing the envelope and stowing it for later. Opening it at the dinner table would get him one heck of a lecture from his mother, not to mention the attempts of his cousins at swiping the contents. He really didn't need that right now.

"Cliff! Come to the table!" His mother called out, catching him by surprise.

"Dad's back?" His lips pulled into a smile. "Why didn't you say something, Mom?"

"Because I didn't want her ruining the surprise," his father said as he stepped into the room from the kitchen, ruffling Kristoff's hair on the way to his spot at the table. "I heard you've been busy, Champ."

"You have no idea," Kristoff replied, and for once was glad his cousins were as much the pestering sort as his mother as everyone took turns badgering Cliff for information regarding his business trip. They were few, far between, and always to somewhere cool.

* * *

><p>Esmeralda and Cindy grunted as they turned the wheel, sliding two long, strong bars of iron into place and effectively locking the door and sealing Lady Tremaine and Drizella behind it. Anna felt a twinge of guilt for not being able to help but, seeing as Aurora was still wrapping up her wrist, there wasn't much she could do. She wasn't sure how much blood she'd lost after filling one of the tea cups for Anastasia, but her head was just a touch fuzzy, so sitting down for a minute was probably a good idea.<p>

"Is there a reason you have a room like this in your house?" Esmeralda groused, wiping her brow. "That door is heavy! Geez!"

"It was a safe, once upon a time," Anastasia said. She looked much healthier than when the Arendelle girls originally arrived, a slight bounce in her step as she motioned towards the foyer. "It will hold them for a while, at any rate. Hopefully until I can find an alternative food source for us."

Anna bit her lip. "What if you can't? Find an alternate food source, I mean."

"Animal blood sustains us just as well; I've been feeding off it for the past few months." Anastasia threw a sad glance towards the heavy vault door. "My... mother and sister, on the other hand, have refused. Human blood tends to make our abilities stronger, so I guess they just... don't want to relinquish their power."

"Well, I can't say any of us are too fond of your mother or sister," Jasmine said, throwing a slight glare at the closed safe door. "But you pretty much saved us back there, fighting off your mom."

"And I think it's _definitely_ in our best interest that you stay at the top of this food chain." Esmeralda added, rubbing her arms as if she was cold.

Anna perked up. "Yeah, is there anything we can do to help you?"

The vampire rubbed at the back of her neck, brow furrowing as she thought. "I don't know if there's anything I can offer in return. We... don't exactly have anything to trade, but..." Lifting her gaze to meet the curious ones directed at her from nearly every member of the cheer team and Anna, Anastasia relented. "Well, I know my mother and sister are _extremely_ vain." She gestured to her own flawless complexion. "As you can see, keeping well fed ensures we retain our, er, lively appearance. I could try convincing them a steady food supply is better than a hit-or-miss one, even if it isn't the, ah, 'optimal' food source, but... well, hunting is not one of the skills we're remotely proficient at, including me. I've honestly been more lucky than anything."

Silence hung over the group before Anna snapped her fingers. "I got it!" She reached into her pocket to retrieve her phone, frowning at the lack of signal. "Darn it." Putting it away, she resolved to talk to Kristoff once she got home to make sure he would help, which she knew he would. "My friend Kristoff, his family owns a pretty large ranch on the outskirts of town. They have all sorts of animals; I'm sure he could convince a few of them to be donors." She quickly met Anastasia's surprised gaze. "How much, uh, blood do you need for a meal and how often? I mean, I can't suggest it to him if it means they'll be losing stock every week; they get really attached to their animals-"

"No! No, that wouldn't be necessary." Anastasia quickly amended, smiling once more. "They might take a bit more than necessary the first time out of hunger, but to properly feed we don't need more than what you provided earlier. They get... greedy sometimes but we can only ingest so much before we get sick, just like any other creature."

"Well, a tea cup's really not much in comparison to a horse or reindeer." Aurora pointed out.

"I'll talk to Kristoff. I'm sure we can work something out." Anna smiled reassuringly. "Now we just need to figure out a way to show you to the ranch-"

"That won't be a problem. That... ah, what's it called, bus?" Anastasia made a vague motion with her hand towards the front of the house. "Well, whatever that mode of transportation you're using- it's heading back to your home, right? I could sneak onto it and learn the way."

"I think Officer Brooks might notice if we suddenly gained a passenger." Esmeralda joked, realization dawning on her and the rest of the girls a moment or two later. "Uh oh."

"'Uh oh' is right," Aurora said, eyes wide as she ran a hand through her hair. "How are we going to explain all this to Officer Brooks?"

"_Explain_? Uh uh, no way guys, we can't do that." Jasmine waved her hands in front of her. "Do you have _any idea_ what'll happen if my dad finds out I stared down a vampire today? He'll go ballistic!"

"He won't be the only one." Several of the girls cringed as Esmeralda continued, putting a hand to her forehead as she thought aloud. "I mean, if we tell Officer Brooks, she's going to tell Coach _and_ our parents, and she'll have to tell the Sheriff, and they'll have to come investigate, and then-"

"Okay, let's slow down, everyone." Anna spoke up, standing quickly and offering a calm smile to the assembled girls. "I think we can all agree that anyone finding out that there are vampires in the Rockies would be bad news. People finding out we were attacked by vampires would be equally bad news. So..." Anna drew in a breath, wondering why the universe seemed to work completely in her favor some days and completely against her others. "What we're going to do is come up with a convincing story, leave the house, and promise to never tell _anyone_ about this... except Kristoff because of the whole feeding thing."

There was a silence before Snow piped up, indicating Anastasia. "But... how will you find your way to Arendelle?"

The vampire chuckled and, in a flash of green, transformed into a red haired bat no bigger than Anna's palm, flapping her wings and landing on the redhead's shoulder.

Anna laughed. "Well, that certainly made things easier on that front."

"Now we just have to come up with a convincing story," Esmeralda said, tapping a finger against her mouth. "At which point, I defer to the truth... kinda."

"Let's hear it." Aurora prompted, at which point Esmeralda continued, essentially outlining the experience as it happened, right up until they made the decision to leave. Instead, they all had tea and left because Lady Tremaine was tired and they didn't want to impose. "I don't see how it _couldn't_ work."

"It won't work _at all_ if we don't get out there soon." Jasmine pointed out.

Snow, taking a look around, sighed. "I don't suppose we could stay and help clean up a bit first, could we?"

"No, Snow, sorry," Aurora replied, using her 'captain voice' to discourage an argument. "Jas is right, we should head out there so Officer Brooks doesn't get suspicious. Oh, and girls?" She waited until she had everyone's attention. "Let Esmeralda and I do the talking, okay? Most of you can't lie your way out of a wet paper bag."

The girls laughed, either because the comment was true or as a release of the last bit of tension in them from the whole ordeal, Anna wasn't sure. Tugging her sleeve down to be sure it covered her bandages, the redhead followed the rest of the girls to the main doors. As Aurora and Esmeralda pulled them open, Anna took a deep breath, reveling in the crisp autumn air as it flooded into the house. The night wind instantly cut into her she stepped out but it wasn't as cold as the winter wind and it helped ground her in the moment. She could officially add 'vampire feast' to the list of ludicrous situations she'd not only gotten into but out of as well. Once again, they crossed the street in twos and threes, with Anna the last one to cross after Anastasia left her shoulder, blending into the night before landing on the bus with none the wiser.

"I was just about to go grab you lot." Officer Brooks was just putting her jacket back on as she regarded Aurora and Esmeralda, tie and shades in place. Anna thought the shades were a bit odd, given the sun had already set before they entered the house, but kept her mouth shut; she was certainly on that 'not good at lying' list Aurora mentioned. "The bus is fixed. Everyone good to go?"

"Of course."

"Absolutely."

Both girls grinned, prompting the security officer to raise a skeptical eyebrow. "Are you sure?"

"Yeah." Esmeralda laughed, waving off the woman's concern. "Just a bit tired. It's been a long day and that tea Lady Tremaine made was too delicious."

"I'm glad she was a gracious host," Officer Brooks replied warily. "I should thank her for watching over you girls."

"Th-that won't be necessary." Aurora quickly supplied, proving she wasn't as apt at lying as Esmeralda. "She was heading to bed when we left; we didn't want to keep her up any later."

"Is that so?" Officer Brooks checked her watch, frowning slightly.

Anna bit her lip; things were starting to look bad. Maybe if she- "Officer Brooks, are you okay?"

"What?" The woman turned her attention from the captain and co-captain to Anna.

"You look like you got into a fight with a bronco and barely won." Now that she'd called attention to it, the rest of the squad seemed to notice how haggard the woman looked. There was a cut on her cheek that glistened wetly though blood didn't flow freely, her knuckles were bruised and bloody, there was dirt staining her suit pants, her shoes were scuffed, and there were traces of what appeared to be oil on her collar and cuffs. The only items that seemed to survive were her shades, tie, and jacket, though there appeared to be a small scratch on the left lens that Anna had never noticed before. "Are you okay?"

"Hey, you try fixing a bus sometime and see how you look after, alright?" Officer Brooks snapped, straightening out her uniform before sighing, motioning towards the vehicle. "Everyone, load up. We're already behind schedule and this place is a dead zone. I'd rather not worry your parents any further."

With that, everyone was in motion, trying to file into the bus quickly. As Anna took her seat, Aurora passed her, flashing the redhead a grateful smile. "Thanks for the save back there, Anna."

She shrugged with a lopsided grin. "Helping people; it's what I do."

The blonde nodded and continued towards her seat. Anna took comfort in confirming her suspicion: Aurora was really a nice person, without that rivalry stuff getting in the way. As the bus lurched into motion once more, the redhead settled into her seat, determined to catch that nap.

* * *

><p>Kristoff trudged up to his room after dinner, the envelope in hand. He'd looked at it for a moment before stuffing it in his back pocket, not recognizing anything on the front, least of all the blocky handwriting. Probably just fan mail; Mr. Oaken usually worked with the local post office to keep the bulk of it away from the teens. Anna always thought it was a bit rude but Kristoff was grateful for the intervention, seeing as he had neither the time nor the patience to reply to all the letters of gratitude, adoration, and... well, some of them were downright creepy. Mr. Oaken usually sent the grateful ones something from his shop and... well, he didn't know what was done with the creepy ones.<p>

Hoping for the best, the blond practically threw himself into his bed, bouncing a few times before settling into the collection of furs and blankets that constituted his bedding. They matched the decor of his room, appealing to his inner rugged outdoorsman.

He didn't have any stuffed animals or skins or anything, of course, seeing as he wasn't a hunter by choice or trade, but he had pictures of animals- posters, paintings, photographs- and the occasional oddity from the trails or fields he explored in his quite limited free time. There was a fresh bale of hay in the corner to add a natural scent to his domain... and in case Sven got hungry during the night and ran out of carrots.

Kicking off his boots so they'd fall in the general direction of 'off the bed', Kristoff opened the envelope, nearly ripping it in half to do so. Inside, he found a letter, written with the same blocky handwriting as his name.

_Dear Kristoff,_

_You, good sir, are a remarkable specimen, a clearly superior model of the masculine form, rough and rugged, the epitome of what each and every man should aspire to be. You are a god among men, to be respected by your peers and adored by your romantic prospects._

_I, being one such prospect, stand in awe of the pinnacle of virility that you embody and it is my fondest wish, my erstwhile desire, to one day hold some significance in your heart. Yet, I am nothing to you, just a beautiful, young woman, humbled to even stand on the same soil as you. I'm sure I pale in comparison to your paramour Anna, for you deserve only the best, most perfect example of femininity, a partner in every sense of the word. A man such as yourself deserves devotion and selfless sacrifice from a lover, not to mention the desire and ability to fulfill all your needs._

_If you were ever to give me the chance, I am sure I could be the perfect match for you, in both intellect and physicality, in every way imaginable._

_Just something to think about. I can certainly keep a secret. Can you?_

_With Love,_  
><em>Your Sweetheart<em>

Kristoff set the letter down on his desk and sighed, turning to look at Sven. "Buddy, is there something about me that just screams: hey, weird guys and gals, I'm your man, come at me?"

Sven gave him a goofy smile and brayed, prompting an exasperated groan.

He was distracted from his internal grumbling by his phone receiving a text, which he quickly checked on the off chance it was Anna asking for help. Which, oddly enough, it was, except it didn't seem urgent, just something they could talk about tomorrow on the way home from school. Shooting off a quick reply, Kristoff settled back onto his bed and tossed the silly letter in the general direction of his desk. He should _really_get started on his homework but... well, he didn't have that much. He was tuckered out and catching a quick nap wouldn't hurt; his cousins would wake him up in an hour or so anyway for their bedtime story.

* * *

><p>Anna double-checked her bag, ensuring she'd placed everything she needed into her backpack and left the mascot uniform and other school-only items in her gym locker. Since her Chemistry homework was done, she'd left the textbook there, making a mental note to grab it before class started the following day. Satisfied she had everything she needed, and nothing extra, Anna slung the bag over her shoulder, preparing to leave the girls' locker room when Esmeralda called out to her.<p>

"Hey, how'd you know to move like that when that one chick tried to tackle you?"

Anna swept her gaze around the room, noting most of the other girls were waiting for her response. The redhead shrugged and chuckled. "Actually, that move was used against _me_ about a year ago. Gave me the worst headache, too. I've honestly never tried it myself but I had a feeling it might work; I really just thought I'd daze her, not knock her out."

"Who on _earth_ would be attacking you, Supergirl?" Esmeralda furrowed her brows, clearly concerned, but Anna merely waved it off.

"It's not that big a deal, I promise. See, there's this girl..." Anna coughed into her hand. Crap, how much did Esmeralda know about her crush? Oh well; this was one secret she wasn't even trying to keep anymore. "Okay, that girl I have a crush on? She has these really cool- ha, cool- uh, ice powers, and she works for this guy who wants to take over the world. Thing is, Kris and I always stop them, Kristoff by fighting The Prince, and I keep Ice Queen distracted until Kristoff or Sven can foil whatever plot or ploy The Prince cooked up, or blow up whatever facility we're in at the time."

Esmeralda blinked, shaking her head to regain her composure before speaking. "Oh, so... wait, okay, if I got this straight, you're crushing on some chick with ice magic powers, and you fight her on a regular basis because... she's basically your arch nemesis and you thwart her employer from taking over the world."

"That's pretty much _exactly_ what I just said." Anna teased, laughing as the other girl lightly slapped her arm.

"Hey, I had to make sure some sort of crazy vamp magic hasn't permanently scattered my brain, because I honestly cannot comprehend how you can be so casual about this."

"I don't know." Snow closed her locker and smiled. "It sounds pretty romantic to me."

"Oh, absolutely!" Cinderella agreed, giggling. "Every time you see each other, you get pretty, ah, physical, right?"

Anna felt heat rise in her cheeks and promptly turned on her heel, making a bee line for the door. "Yup, totally regretting telling any of you, going to go die of embarrassment now, bye!"

The redhead ignored the rounds of laughter coming from behind her as she left the locker room, setting her sights on getting home as soon as humanly possible. Of course the cheer team would tease her; why did she expect them to just accept it like her friends did? Granted, they were just being lewd with their suggestions and such, but still, they'd all had a long day. Now she had to hope her blush died down before she got home. Fortunately- or not so, depending on how one looked at it- she was walking home, which took longer than driving.

It really sucked she didn't have her permit yet- curse August birthdays!- but she would definitely be able to attend Driver's Ed this summer. Then she could at least _talk_ to her parents about getting her own car, though she sincerely doubted it would be anything flashy or fancy. Something with front-wheel drive would be good, or maybe a truck like Kristoff wanted.

At any rate, she was stuck walking home, so Anna wasted no time in heading away from the school and down the familiar streets. Much to her surprise, she turned the first corner to find Anastasia waiting for her.

"Oh, hey!" Anna smiled, earning one in return from the vampire. "What's up?"

Anastasia chuckled, tucking her hair behind her ears. "I figured it might be prudent to arrange a meeting time with your friend."

"That makes sense." Anna nodded, brows furrowing as she thought. Okay, arrange a meeting, with plenty of time to talk to Kristoff, and his animals, and... got it. "Okay, so, you think you can find the school from your place?" Anastasia nodded. "Good. At the next full moon, meet us at the school, we'll show you Kristoff's place, and we can work something out. Will that work?"

"Perfectly," the vampire replied. "That's more than enough time to convince my mother and sister to listen to reason. They were honestly about to give in before your bus broke down; weird stroke of luck that was."

Anna laughed, bidding Anastasia farewell as she resumed her bat form and flew away into the night. "Yeah, I'm lucky like that."

* * *

><p>Opening the door to her home, the redhead inhaled deeply to drink in the sweet aroma of the Andersen's signature meal: her father's delicious smoked salmon recipe, with her mother's vegetable stew on the side. With any luck, they'd managed to pick up a chocolate cake from the bakery in town for dessert. Just the thought had Anna salivating, her stomach grumbling as she made her way to the kitchen where her parents were hard at work.<p>

"Hi Mom, hi Dad! When's dinner? Soon, right?" Anna reached out, trying to snag one of the potatoes prepped for the stew but her hand was batted away by the spoon in her mother's hand.

"No spoiling your dinner, young lady." Her father gently chided with a smile.

"But I'm hungry!" The redhead whined, stepping away from her busy parents and seating herself in the adjacent nook.

"Anna, dear, this came for you today." Her mother handed her an envelope, much to the redhead's surprise.

Anna inspected the envelope. Her name was written in beautiful, flowing cursive on the front above her address but the return address was somewhere she'd never heard of in Canada, lacked a name, and was scrawled in barely legible print. Tilting her head to the side in curiosity, Anna carefully opened the envelope and pulled the papers within free.

Settling into her chair, Anna smoothed out the page and started reading:

_Dearest Anna,_

_I hope this letter finds you well. I would like to thank you, from the bottom of my heart, for everything you do, everything you've done, all that contributes to who you are. You are a special young woman, unique in every way, and I am privileged to have been graced with your presence._

_From the moment you appeared in my life, I have felt lighter, moving through each day carrying the memory of your radiant smile as a beacon to light my way. Your vibrancy, that spark which shines so brightly in your eyes, is amazingly breathtaking and inspiring. These are just little pieces that make up your whole._

_Well, they are the pieces of the whole you present to the world as the smiling heroine, the brave, beautiful, intelligent, and amazing young woman you are. But there's more to you than that. Even such simple words and definitions don't do you justice._

_You're not brave just because of the things you do; you're brave for the way you throw yourself into everything you do, for better or worse, too. You're not beautiful just because you have sun-kissed skin, fiery red hair, and shimmering sea-green eyes; you're also beautiful for your intensity and sincerity in every expression, your confidence and faith in every move, and your wealth of energy which propels you through everything._

_That's not to say you're perfect, in the literal sense. I'm sure you have your fears and doubts, your flaws and shortcomings, your bad habits; I'm sure you've made some mistakes... but I don't know what they are, for they are not the things you show to the world._

_I want to know them, though. I lay awake at night, wondering- what are you afraid of? What do you dream of? What makes you happy? What makes you sad? How do you relax? Do you bite your nails when you're nervous or bored? Do you ever think of finding true love?_

_I'll admit, I know very little of love, having never fallen in love before. I know what I've read in books and seen in movies but feeling it is an entirely different experience... and I think, maybe, I'm beginning to fall in love with you. From that first moment, when my eyes met yours, I felt this connection, like some part of me suddenly dislodged from deep within my chest, and that part of me went with you when you left. Without trying, you took a piece of my heart when you returned to_ _your world, but it wasn't stolen. I freely gave you that piece and I don't want it back. I want to give you the rest, give you all that you deserve, every happiness imaginable. I want to make you laugh, make you smile, and I even want the opportunity to make you mad, make you sad, so I can learn from those mistakes and make it up to you._

_But, I'm not so foolish as to believe I can do any of that. You already have Kristoff, who I'm sure can give you more than I ever could and- while I envy him in every conceivable way- I realize that the only thing that matters to me is your happiness. It's what I truly want more than anything, far more than wanting to be the one to bring you that happiness._

_You are kind and gentle. I have no doubt you're concerned about hurting my feelings but you really shouldn't. A part of my heart, if not its entirety, will always be yours, Anna. I can think of no one in the world I would rather give it to, honestly. Please, keep it safe, by continuing being who you are, chasing your dreams, and letting no one hold you back._

_After reading through all this, I'm sure you're wondering who I am. To be blunt, I'm not going to tell you. With all your travels, all your activities, you meet so many people, far more interesting and wonderful than I, and it would be nearly impossible to pick out just one from your memory. Ultimately, who I am is of no consequence; just a face and a name from your missions who will never forget you. Still, no matter what, even if the world were to end tomorrow, I will always be,_

_Forever Yours_

"Sweetheart? Can you set the table?"

Anna startled slightly, having reread the letter a third time without noticing that dinner was nearly done.

"Huh? Oh, yeah, right," Anna absently said, folding up the letter and putting it back in the envelope, careful to keep it away from the table as she set out plates and utensils.

Anna couldn't decide which emotion to focus on first. She was flattered, certainly, because who wouldn't blush at such extravagant compliments? Perhaps if she suspected any insincerity, she might not react so strongly, but... something about the way the letter was written, how much care was put into every letter of every word, all written in the same smooth cursive as her name on the envelope, compelled her to believe in the letter's sincerity.

That just made her sad, though. Obviously, whoever wrote the letter cared very deeply, invested a lot of time and energy into writing out their feelings... but she couldn't even begin to try making them feel better. If she confessed that she _wasn't_ dating Kristoff, it would give... her admirer, for lack of a name, hope, which wasn't fair, seeing as she already had a crush. Then, explaining she had a crush... that would be mean, to some extent. Totally not within her realm of control because, heck, her heart did whatever it wanted!

Perhaps that was the part that upset her, at least a little. She could totally get where her admirer was coming from, about giving up a piece of her heart without even realizing it and not wanting it back. That's exactly what happened with Ice Queen, though she could never be quite as poetic about it as her admirer.

From that first mission when the trio appeared to thwart The Prince's plan, when Anna came face-to-face with Ice Queen, she was nothing less than utterly awestruck. She admired Ice Queen's cool indifference, her confidence, and her piercing gaze, but she wanted to know more about the woman.

She could _really_ relate to whoever wrote the letter and it made Anna feel bad that she couldn't return those affections because of her own feelings for Ice Queen. It was also a little discouraging, considering how alike their situations were. After all, why should things work out for _her_ if they couldn't work out for someone else? She was lucky, but she wasn't _that_ lucky.

"Anna? Is something the matter, dear?"

The redhead snapped her gaze to meet her father's concerned frown. Having flipped over to auto-pilot at some point while laying out the utensils, Anna was now sitting in front of her food laden but untouched plate, both of her parents watching her warily. She offered them a small smile.

"Sorry, I just kinda spaced. Nothing's wrong," she replied, starting in on her dinner. As usual, the smoked salmon was absolutely delicious, and the redhead allowed herself to enjoy the taste for a few bites before her mind drifted back to the letter.

She felt an instant kinship with her admirer because of their similar situations but... she couldn't very well reach out. Anna wasn't good with words and her handwriting was terrible. Plus, she didn't even know what to say! 'Hi, you have a huge crush on me, but I have a huge crush on someone else, so while I can't return your affections, could you listen to me vent about my situation?' That was beyond rude and a little selfish.

Anna set down her fork and looked up, searching for something to say that would rescue her from the jumble of thoughts fighting through her head. "The competition went well. We qualified for the next stage in a few weeks."

"That's great, honey," her mother replied, grinning ever so slightly in that 'I'm your mother and you can't hide anything from me, but I'll let you think what you want' way of hers. "The routine went over well with the judges?"

"Absolutely." Anna smiled, ladling more stew into her bowl. "Aurora and Esmeralda were kinda harsh- we had a few errors- but, overall, we were really great."

"Your knee isn't bothering you too bad?" Her father's concern was a bit more evident but she shrugged it off. She hadn't even thought about it since Esmeralda brought it up.

"Still a little sore I guess but it's fine. I mean, I can still do a triple backflip and stick the landing, so I'm not worried about it." The redhead smiled at her parents. Then she remembered the promise she made with the girls of the cheer team and her smile faltered a little.

Her mother's eyes narrowed ever so slightly and that was it. Her parents would never push her about certain things but that was mostly because she was _horrible_ at keeping things from them. She didn't like keeping secrets anyway and, aside from Rapunzel's and now the cheer team, she'd never had a compelling reason to do so. But, if she wanted to have even the shadow of a chance of keeping the whole vampire thing a secret, she'd need to spill the beans on the letter to assuage her mother's concern.

"So... that thing I got in the mail is, uh... it's a love letter." Anna admitted, feeling a blush come to her cheeks. Her mother laughed lightly while her father's brows rose in surprise.

"You haven't gotten one of those in quite a while." He observed, wiping his mouth with a napkin.

"Did it come with a marriage proposal?" Her mother quipped, a wry smirk on her lips.

"No, thank goodness." Anna giggled, rolling her eyes at the memory. "But this person is _very_ sweet and I feel kinda bad since I'm, ya know, kinda taken but, uh, not really..."

Her mother shook her head with a laugh. "Sweetheart, you'll worry yourself sick one of these days over the things you can't control."

Her father nodded, excusing himself from the table. "Does this suitor have a name?"

"I'm sure they do, but I don't know what it is." Anna shrugged. "They said that who they were wasn't important; they just wanted to tell me how they feel."

"Definitely a departure from any fan mail you've received in the past, then." Her mother conceded, setting her plate to the side as her father brought the cake out. "Do you want me to tell Marlin to keep an eye out for that address?"

"No, I, uh, don't really mind," Anna replied with a shy smile. As selfish as it felt, if this person wanted to contact her again, if they were going to be so caring and touching in each letter... well, she was only human and that's a hard thing to turn down. "I mean, it seems like this might be a one time thing but if they reach out again... that's okay with me."

"Are you going to reply to the letter?" Her father began cutting the cake, placing a slice on a plate for Anna and his wife before cutting his own.

The redhead twirled her fork a moment, licking her lips as she stared at the dessert. With a decisive nod, she dug into the cake with a smile. "Maybe."

* * *

><p>Author's Note: One thing about the KP verse I never quite understood: we can have a were-jackal, monkey ninjas, a monkey man, a gorilla woman, a mutant, living armor, <em>time travel and aliens<em> but _not one _vampire? Like, seriously? Totally a missed opportunity. So, now there's at least _three_ vampires, because AU and why the hell not. Boo-yah. Hope y'all enjoyed the chapter, even if it was a long read. Thanks for all the support, it is greatly appreciated.


	9. What's Yours?

**Disclaimer**: All characters are from their respective works. Moving away from military lingo, today's vocab lesson is for non-Spanish speakers! Hola - hello. Vamanos - let's go. Promento - I promise. Beinvenido - welcome. Ay Dios mio - oh my God. Brujería - witchcraft. Ya no sé - I don't know anymore. I would also like to note that, while I understand and am able to speak Spanish... my grammar is _horrendous_. If you see an error, it's because I legit suck at it, so sorry. That being said, olé, motherfucker; let's have some Elsanna fun.

* * *

><p>Elsa scrubbed at her eyes, trying to will herself awake as she picked her way through the trees surrounding Noah's home. True to her word, she'd cleared the man's roof of snow at every hint of a storm, though there weren't any big ones since her first visit. She could only assume he was holding up his end of the bargain, seeing as the letters she'd left in his box last week were gone by her next visit. Really, she didn't care if he was mailing them or not; the trips were excellent excuses for her to leave the Palace without complaints or questions from Hans.<p>

She was also vaguely terrified by the prospect of Anna actually _reading_ her first missive, but she tried to pretend that wasn't a big concern, convincing herself that the letters were more akin to messages in bottles set adrift on the tides than actual correspondence. It wasn't like she was expecting a reply, after all.

Stopping beside a large tree that gave her an excellent view of Noah's house, Elsa reached into her hoodie and pulled free the letters she was to drop off, one penned by herself and the other by Hans. Just as last time, the spot for the return address was left blank. She'd tried, very hard, to will herself to put _something_ there before leaving the Palace but, when she finally worked up the nerve, remembered she didn't even know the town's name, much less the address of a specific house.

Willful ignorance on her part that she refused to correct. It was better that way.

Putting the letters back in her hoodie, Elsa started towards the house with only the moonlight and the northern lights to guide her. Before she could really register it, she was on the man's porch, standing before the tin box. On a whim- a silly, silly whim- she opened the box and checked it before depositing the letters.

It was empty, of course.

Closing the lid quietly, she left the porch and turned to survey the roof, which was free of any hint of snow or ice, as she expected. The next snowfall wasn't due for a few more days, which was why they were launching their fake scheme today. Elsa didn't particularly like the idea of leaving Marshmallow and Olaf alone during a snowstorm. Hans thought it was incredibly funny but relented all the same.

Speaking of their fake scheme, they would be leaving soon, despite how early in the morning it was; the trip to Mexico would take a few hours and they still had two archaeologists to track down, a trio of do-gooders to lure, and a trip home to make. Just because they thought they had a few days before the snow hit didn't mean she wanted to take any chances.

Elsa turned to leave Noah's property but stopped before she could take her first step. Someone was watching her, she could feel it; she just couldn't tell where the person was.

It couldn't have been Noah. The older man was far too cantankerous to keep quiet, an observation she'd made several times over the years. In fact, out of all the townsfolk, there was only one who didn't make a fuss when they saw her or whenever they could. He was also the only one she'd ever interacted with more than absolutely necessary.

"Mumble?" She swept her gaze around, searching for the boy. He responded to his name, stepping out from behind a stack of wood and offering her a slight wave. Mumble was the son of the general store owner, a quiet kid, scrawny for his age, and a bit... simple, in a way that reminded her of Olaf. She'd also noticed how the other kids in town tended to tease him a bit more than was entirely affectionate, how he was often ostracized, either intentionally or not. Perhaps that was why she wasn't bothered by his curiosity and his habit of seeking her out whenever she came around town. With a small smile, she set her hands on her hips. "What are you doing?"

"Noah said you were coming by to post some letters and clear his roof." He started towards her, checking the pockets of his jacket until he produced a chocolate bar from his father's store. "I wanted to come say hi." Mumble smiled, offering her the bar. "So, hi."

"How long have you been waiting out here, Mumble?" She smiled, taking his offering and unwrapping the candy. "Your parents will be worried."

Mumble shrugged, jamming one hand into his pocket. "They know I wander off sometimes. I'm always home by sunrise."

Elsa broke off a piece of the chocolate and placed it in Mumble's hand, breaking off a piece for herself after. "You didn't answer my question."

"I've only been here for an hour." He ate the piece of chocolate slowly, as if lost in thought. "I left home before the sun set. I've been walking around town... and thinking."

The blonde nodded, breaking off more pieces of chocolate and remaining silent. This was something of a routine that started after he tried following her home a few years back. She'd thought he would turn back after she started scaling the ridge overlooking the town, the same one she used to watch over it when she left the Palace for her alone time. But no, he'd continued up after her all the way to the top, and she found the only way for her to discourage him was to burrow herself into a snowbank she'd discreetly summoned and wait for him to turn back. She couldn't afford to have someone see Marshmallow, partly because it would expose her powers but mainly because the larger snowman didn't exactly take to strangers very well.

The next time she came to town, he started following her again, and she found the only way to prevent a repeat of the last time was to stop and talk to him. Or, rather, listen.

"Dad wants me to take over the store when I'm old enough. I don't mind, I mean, this is home for me... but I feel... something. Like I'm... different." He frowned, chewing his piece of chocolate for a moment before continuing. "I thought about going to one of the big cities, becoming a musician. I like... the sound of drums, rolling through my chest. Pounding and matching the beating in my chest. It's..." Mumble shrugged. "It's hard to describe."

Elsa nodded, breaking off another piece. Nearly half the bar was gone.

"But then... there's this girl. Gloria, I'm sure you've seen her, she's the Doc's daughter. When I see her, my heart... she's just... every time it's like..." He trailed off, as if searching for the right words. As she handed him the next piece, Elsa closed her hand over his briefly, offering him a small smile. She understood. With a nod of his own, he continued. "The problem is, I don't know which to follow. I don't think Gloria wants to leave. Well, she wants to go to university, but she wants to come back and be the doc like her mom." Looking over his shoulder, Mumble swept his gaze across the trees, across the town beyond them. "I can't be a musician here... but I can't imagine leaving Gloria behind." He turned back, gazing up at her with baby blue eyes. "I don't know which to choose."

Elsa finished chewing her piece of chocolate before speaking. "Why do you have to choose?" Mumble turned his head to the side, as if confused. "You're still young, Mumble. There's a lot of things that can happen between now and when you're old enough to decide for yourself to leave or stay." She ignored her own hypocrisy with that statement; she certainly wasn't 'old enough' by any standards when she fled to create her Palace. "For instance, have you tried talking to Gloria?"

"I'm working on it." Mumble laughed quietly, accepting another piece of chocolate. "It's hard."

"I know." Elsa smiled a little bigger at his curious glance but shook her head to discourage him from inquiring further. "Mumble... it's always going to be hard, choosing between your dreams and your heart, and following them. There's no right answer." She divided the last of the chocolate. "But maybe you should only worry yourself about the things you can affect right now, and make decisions to pursue your own happiness."

Mumble nodded, eating the last piece. "I'm going to ask my dad for a drum set for my next birthday. And I'm going to talk to Gloria. I mean, more than talk to her like I usually do. I'll ask her out on a date."

"That's a start," Elsa replied, turning to leave the way she came. Before she could leave, two arms wrapped around her as Mumble caught her in a slightly awkward hug.

"Thanks, Snow Walker." Mumble released her, turning to head back into town. "Be careful out there."

"You too, Mumble," she said, starting away at a brisk pace on the off chance he'd try doubling back and following her. Their talk hadn't taken too long, so she should still have plenty of time to make it back to the Palace before Hans got fussy with her about being late. The blonde briefly reflected on the conversation, hoping her advice was sound. She'd hate for the boy to encounter any sort of emotional pain because he was listening to her.

If her current situation was any indication, she really was the last person to ask for life advice anyway.

* * *

><p>Anna stopped in front of her locker and slowly leaned against it, groaning quietly into the metal.<p>

Due to her being gone for most of the day before, the pep squad had moved their practice to the following morning and it had just ended, leaving two thoughts swirling through her mind: she really disliked morning practices and her knee was throbbing miserably. She hadn't thought much of it after the whole vampire thing but, in hindsight, that was probably a mix of adrenaline, being distracted by the prospect of dinner, and exhaustion. When she woke up, her knee was swollen just a bit and she thought she could work it out during practice.

The answer to that was a resounding no. It wasn't to the point where she couldn't walk but Anna didn't like the prospect of being even slightly limited. They had another softball game this week, plus the football game, and that wasn't counting what missions might pop up. She needed to be at her best, so her knee needed to get the with program, pronto.

And she could _not_ let Kristoff find out about this or she'd face his unending, nagging, completely unnecessary concern.

"Not so feisty this morning, huh Anna?" Of course he'd show up right then, impeccable timing as always. "Still not a morning person I take it?"

"They're a myth, Kristoff. There's no such thing as a 'morning person', not one who's sane anyway." Anna flashed him a smile and opened her locker. He hadn't noticed yet, so her best bet was to keep him distracted. "I got a letter yesterday."

"So did I." The blond groused, pulling the offending paper from his backpack. "This one, you _have_ to read."

"Uh-oh, one of those, huh?" She laughed, accepting the letter and starting to read it. Anna didn't get past the first line before Kristoff cleared his throat. "What?"

His hand was out, waiting for her to produce the letter she'd received. It was something of a tradition, exchanging fan mail so the other could read the missives of adoring people the world over. "Your letter?"

"Oh." Anna gave a nervous chuckle. "Right. Just be careful with it, okay?"

Kristoff raised a brow, grinning a little as he was handed the letter still in its envelope. They read in silence for a bit, Anna finishing first and trying hard to control her amusement and pang of guilt. Unlike Kristoff, she occasionally felt bad for making light of someone else's feelings but... well, sometimes, it was hard to take these things seriously. This _adoring_ letter definitely fit into that category.

"Ya know, I don't know if either of us should feel flattered that so many people think we're together." Anna mused as Kristoff continued reading, leaning back against her locker so she could discreetly take some weight off her sore leg. "I mean, aside from feeling vaguely creepy, seriously, you're a good looking guy with your own fan club; I should be honored that I'm considered-" she glanced at the letter in her hand "-a 'perfect example of femininity'... what does that even mean? Has this person even _seen_ me?"

"Wow." Kristoff shook his head, obviously ignoring what Anna had said in favor of reading the letter. "This chick's got it _bad_ for you."

"What makes you think they're a girl?" Anna quirked a brow, handing back Kristoff's letter and holding her hand out, waiting for her own to be returned. The blond held onto it a moment longer though.

"Because guys don't talk like this." He nodded towards the paper. "Also, guys don't write like this. It's too pretty."

"I'm sure some do."

Kristoff rolled his eyes. "Okay fine, some _might_, but seriously, no guy _I_ know talks about 'true love' like that." Kristoff folded up the letter and put it back in the envelope. "Also, a dude would have no reason to _not_give you at least his first name."

"Maybe they're trying to be mysterious?"

"Or, maybe she's still in the closet or completely unaware that you'll bat for whichever team you feel like."

Anna stuck out her tongue and took the envelope, starting to put it in her backpack. "Well, whoever it is, they're very... nice."

"Yeah- wait a minute, let me see that envelope again." At Anna's raised eyebrow, he continued. "I think I recognize that address." The redhead showed it to him. "Huh, yeah, I think that's the same address as the one I got. Same handwriting too. Weird."

"Maybe they're siblings? And their mom or dad did the return address?"

"Like sisters?" Kristoff smiled, eyes staring off into the distance. "Hot, Canadian, twin sisters."

"And one of them thinks you're the 'pinnacle of virility'." Anna smirked as Kristoff's hopeful look fell.

"You just had to ruin my fantasy by reminding me one of them's nuts, didn't you?"

The redhead shrugged, heading towards their first class. "Hey, what are best friends for?"

* * *

><p>Chel once thought that, with all the people packed in the sprawling urban jungle of Mexico City, finding one gullible and somewhat useful man to take care of her would be reasonably easy. She was young, beautiful, intelligent enough to use her looks to her advantage, and quick enough to steal just about anything without the owner being any wiser; she had all the skills she needed to make a comfortable life for herself in a place like this.<p>

So how she ended up with _these_ two American idiots was beyond her.

"Tulio, we're geniuses!" Miguel cried with a laugh, shaking the other man's shoulders as they read a message from the latest group looking to capitalize on their 'ground breaking discovery' and promising more than enough funding and royalties for leading the expedition. "Absolute _geniuses_!"

"We have offers, Miguel, but they all demand to actually _see it_ before they'll pay us!" Tulio rubbed at his temple, slowly shaking his head. "They might be _biting_ but we haven't hooked a single catch yet!"

Chel rolled her eyes, leaning back against the horse settled behind her with a sigh. Altivo- the horse the three managed to steal as a means of transport- huffed, as if trying to console her while flicking his ears in the direction of the bickering Americans. They were taking temporary refuge in a safe house- a structure that amounted to a lean-to on the fringes of the city- waiting for the heat to die down.

While their little ploy was working wonders outside of Mexico City, the local authorities- much more familiar with their scams- were hot on their trail. Less because they wanted to foil the two men and more because their claims about the ancient and fabled city of El Dorado attracted not only the attention of universities, researchers, scientists and the like, but also that of the cartels.

For once in her life, she'd rather be caught by _policía_. The alternative... wasn't pretty.

"It's only a matter of time." Miguel was still talking, waving off Tulio's concerns. "All we need to do is provide a little bit of this so-called proof and state our terms. _Someone_ will take the bait! Then, we'll live like kings!"

"Kings being hunted by half the country." Tulio pointed out, a small smile on his lips. "Seriously, do we have an exit strategy?"

"Don't we always?" Miguel laughed, throwing an arm around his friend's shoulder. "We'll just-"

Suddenly, the flimsy walls of the safe house were ripped away, jagged walls of ice spikes replacing them. Altivo and Chel shot to their feet, eyes wide as they shivered from the sudden blast of cold. Miguel and Tulio stumbled away from the former entrance, eyes directed at the two people standing just beyond the destroyed threshold.

Chel felt her mouth drop open, chills completely unrelated to the ice's cold creeping down her spine as piercing blue eyes swept over her dismissively and settled on Miguel and Tulio, their owner a blonde woman Chel had never seen before. Beside her was a redheaded man wearing a slightly amused smirk.

"Hola." He stepped forward, hands clasped behind his back. "I am The Prince, and this is my associate, Ice Queen." He glanced at the woman standing behind him who held out her hands, wisps of sparkling white and blue encircling her hands and forearms. "Would you two happen to be Miguel Sanchez and Tulio Rivera, the two archaeologists who've found El Dorado?"

The two men exchanged a quick glance before Tulio offered a tentative: "No hablamos Ingles."

The Prince raised a brow as frost began crawling along the floor, starting at Ice Queen's feet and reaching towards the men. "You may want to try again."

Miguel swallowed thickly, offering the newcomers a shaky smile. "What my friend meant to say, uh, was that we're... afraid you're mistaken, Senor."

"We've never heard of these, uh, archaeologists you speak of." Tulio continued, smiling as well.

The Prince raised a brow. "Is that so? What do you think Ice Queen?"

The blonde narrowed her eyes. "They're lying."

"Shame." The Prince turned back to Miguel and Tulio. "Convince them to be more... forthcoming."

Ice erupted all around them, spikes jutting from nearly all sides, spooking Altivo. As the horse reared in fright, Chel grabbed for his reins to calm him while staring all around her. "Brujería."

"I believe we were talking about an exit strategy before." Tulio muttered to his friend.

Miguel nodded. "Right. Just follow my lead." He took a step forward, clearing his throat. "We apologize for our moment of deception. You are clearly of a higher caliber than the usual riffraff hounding us around the city." He motioned back towards Tulio. "We would gladly, uh, assist you however we can."

"Then you'll be acting as my guides to El Dorado. You know the way, yes?" The Prince crossed his arms over his chest.

"Of course we do!" Tulio laughed. "But we should consult our... map, to be certain we don't lead you astray. Miguel, where'd we leave the map again?"

"It's out in the car, Tulio!" Miguel laughed, pointing to the street behind The Prince.

With furrowed brows, The Prince turned to survey the street. "I don't recall there being a car parked out-" The cracking of ice had him turning back to find both men gone, surprise registering on his face as he turned to Ice Queen. "Where'd they go?"

"That way." Ice Queen pointed towards the alley behind the row of shabby buildings, specifically at a break in the back wall that was just barely large enough for a person to slip through.

"And you didn't stop them because...?" The Prince raised a brow.

Ice Queen shrugged. "You didn't tell me to, for one." The Prince slapped a hand to his face and sighed as Ice Queen continued. "We need to waste time, for another. They're not the ones we're after, remember?"

"Of course I do! Still, this is a needless complication." The Prince pouted, pulling back his sleeve to push a button on his watch. "Track them down. I'll wait in the hovercraft."

Ice Queen nodded, waiting until the hovercraft appeared overhead before starting after the two men. As The Prince lifted into the air to board the hovercraft using a lowered line, the blonde turned her gaze to Chel.

"Anna Andersen," Ice Queen said, pronouncing the name very clearly. "Get her here, we'll release your friends." She paused, narrowing her eyes slightly. "And we won't come back for _you_."

With that, the blonde proceeded into the alley, leaving Chel and Altivo alone in the frozen remains of their hide-out. Chel quickly weighed her options. Every street survival instinct she'd honed over the years was screaming at her to leave the idiots to their fate... but some semblance of a conscience she would swear she didn't have pointed out they were _her_ idiots. She couldn't very well leave them at the mercy of their own poorly conceived machinations.

"Altivo." Chel hoisted herself into the horse's back, patting his neck reassuringly. "Vamanos."

* * *

><p>Kristoff sighed as Mr. P continued his lecture at the front of the class. If the class wasn't a requirement, he wouldn't have taken it, seeing as giving presentations and speeches were easily some of his least favorite activities, so taking a class devoted to doing just that was a bit grating. Plus, it just wasn't a skill he was likely to ever use. He didn't necessarily <em>like<em> one-on-one conversation with random people, but he could manage just fine; talking to a big group? Yeah, not so much, so he avoided it at all costs. The only upside to the class was having Anna with him to make the mundane assignments interesting. This was also one of the few areas he actually did better than her on a consistent basis, though Mr. Papikrankenitz occasionally told him to be mindful of his language.

He was supposedly 'abrasive' at times with his wording, though the blond merely thought it was being assertive. Still, it worked for him, and he didn't freeze up when addressing the class, so Kristoff didn't gripe about the occasional one or two point deduction.

Movement caught his attention and, through the corner of his eye, he watched as Anna rubbed absently at her knee again. That made five times since class started and the blond was getting worried. While the redhead assured him the competition didn't aggravate the injury, he was beginning to think that she stressed it during the morning pep squad practice and Anna was downplaying it so he wouldn't worry.

Which he did anyway, so she should really knock it off and get it checked out.

"Maybe you should get some ice for your knee." He offered, quietly so he wouldn't attract Mr. P's attention. It was one of those rare times he hated sitting so close to the front of the class.

Anna shook her head, eyes never leaving her notebook as she scribbled something only the redhead would ever be able to read. "It's fine."

"You've been rubbing it all class." He pointed out as her hand stopped its motion, returning to her desk top. "Maybe you're pushing yourself too hard."

"I did the same stuff last year, Kris," she replied, glancing up to ensure Mr. P was still orating to the class. If the teacher was aware of their conversation, he wasn't acknowledging it, instead sweeping his eyes along the back of the class as he turned away from the board. Probably ensuring Ling wasn't catching a nap again.

"No, you didn't." Kristoff held up a finger before she could argue. "One, you didn't do cheer competitions because you weren't the mascot until after Aladdin dislocated his shoulder, and their season was over by then. Two, you had a designated hitter last year, so you weren't batting or running bases during softball games. Three-"

"Kristoff!" Mr. P's voice caused both teens to wince, directing their gaze at the man. He looked more concerned than upset, as was usual; Mr. P was definitely one of the more laid back teachers. "Is everything alright?"

The blond opened his mouth, paused, weighed his options, then decided it would be worth the retribution. His arm shot up, pointing to Anna. "She needs an ice pack for her knee, Mr. P."

"Kris!" The redhead hissed, swatting at his arm.

"Did you hurt it, Anna? You were favoring it a little when you walked in."

"I'm fine, Mr. P."

"She's lying." Kristoff winced as he received a punch to his arm.

"I swear it's nothing!"

Unsurprisingly, Anna hadn't miraculously improved at lying and Mr. P saw straight through her. "I think it might be best if you see the school nurse, just to be on the safe side. I think Dr. Sweet has the rotation this week." As Mr. P turned to his desk to start filling out a hall pass, Anna and Kristoff paled.

Nothing against Dr. Sweet- he was a very good guy, if a bit of a fast talker, and he knew his stuff when it came to illnesses and injuries- but he tended to get a bit... carried away sometimes, and when a doctor with a bonesaw in his medical bag has a tendency to get carried away, well, they couldn't _really_ be blamed for their hesitance, could they?

By some stroke of cosmic luck, Anna's communication device started ringing, saving her from trying to get out of her trip to the nurse's office. Kristoff crossed his arms over his chest and outright glared at Anna as she answered, trying to discourage her from accepting whatever mission was awaiting them. At his desk, Mr. P paused in filling out the hall pass to listen to the conversation.

"Hey, Mr. Oaken. Where are we going today?" She offered the burly man a smile, consciously ignoring Kristoff's glare, her classmates' stares, and Mr. P's curiosity.

The burly man laughed. "Ya, I receive request. Someone say two men are in danger of kidnapping in Mexico City."

Anna raised a brow. "Kidnapping? Isn't that something the local authorities can handle?"

Mr. Oaken grinned, that knowing grin she was getting used to seeing from a ton of people by now, but she tried not to get her hopes up. "Ya, if regular kidnapping. This one though? Involves The Prince and Ice Queen."

The redhead immediately lit up, everything else forgotten as she gathered her notebook and shoved it into her bag with one hand. Beside her, Kristoff was packing up his stuff too, the glare he'd been sporting replaced by a smug smile.

"Told ya they were fine."

"Shut up, Kris," Anna replied with a chuckle, slinging her bag onto her back. "Okay, when's our ride getting here?"

"Fifteen minutes."

Anna nodded, turning to Kristoff as they started towards the classroom door. "We'll get changed really fast, then go find Sven."

"Sounds good. Mr. P-"

"I gotcha." The teacher theatrically winked, typing something up on his computer. "I'm sending out the notice now. You kids be careful and take it easy on your knee, Anna."

"Will do, Mr. P." She waved goodbye to the class before heading through the door and down the hallway, back to the lockers with Kristoff hot on her heels. They each exchanged their school backpacks for their mission ones, hurrying towards the nearest bathrooms after making the switch. Kristoff honestly preferred changing in the locker room but, given the time constraint, there were worse places to swap outfits, like loading bay of a C-130 during take-off.

_That_ was a mistake he'd never make again.

His pants were suitable enough for mission wear, so he only bothered changing his shirt and throwing his vest over it, forgoing his beanie given the relatively warmer temperatures in Mexico. Once finished, he checked for his pick ax and zipped up the bag, exiting the bathroom and heading for the main entrance. Anna would take a little longer, so he should get a headstart on finding Sven.

As he exited the school, he caught sight of... probably one of the stranger things he'd ever seen. Officer Brooks was escorting Sven towards the main entrance- which, to be clear, was obviously on school property- and carrying what appeared to be two tan gas cans, minus the spouts.

"Uh, good morning, Officer Brooks."

"Bjorgman," the woman replied, setting the jugs down. "Take those with you and make sure you bring them back."

"Why do we need gas cans?"

"They're five gallon water jugs, Bjorgman." Officer Brooks smoothed out her jacket. "You're taking a reindeer to Mexico; you should monitor your hydration."

"Oh, that makes sense." The blond nodded as he reached the jugs and an enthusiastic Sven. "Isn't Principal Mode-"

Officer Brooks waved off his concern. "I'll handle the Principal. Papikrankenitz mentioned this mission involves the individuals the Colonel was looking for information on a few weeks ago."

"Yeah, Anna's super excited, she-" He quickly clamped his mouth shut, suddenly realizing that Anna would probably _not_ want him talking about her crush so openly, regardless if his audience was already well aware of it. He wasn't sure if the woman was in the loop but, given Coach Calhoun's talk with the redhead not too long ago, it was pretty safe to assume she knew.

Her slight grunt of acknowledgment pretty much cemented that in his mind even as she turned her attention elsewhere. "Oaken is ensuring that any mission dealing with those two has civilian or similarly unaffiliated transports for you three but keep in mind that the saying goes: the enemy of my enemy is my friend." They both looked to the school's entrance as Anna raced through the door, taking the front steps in a single bound. "Be sure of who your enemies are."

"Uh, sure." The blond shrugged, picking up both water jugs as Anna reached him. "Ready to go, Feisty Pants?"

The redhead grinned, bouncing on the balls of her feet, her knee apparently forgotten about for the time being. "I was _born_ ready!"

* * *

><p>Chel groaned, smacking the side of the computer screen in frustration. <em>Of course<em> the crappy Internet would choose now, of all times, to fizz completely out. After leaving the remains of the hide-out, Chel and Altivo had made their way- carefully- across the city to the crappy apartment she shared with those knuckleheads, avoiding the _policía_ the whole way. In hopes of getting Miguel and Tulio out of this mess, Chel had turned to the all powerful Google for more information on this 'Anna Andersen' person and, after a few... weird results, she'd found the page she needed and clicked on the link that would allow her to contact the person.

Then, the internet decided that no, it wouldn't cooperate, almost as if the world was laughing at her.

Groaning, Chel leaned her head back against the wall, a light thud echoing in the room a brief moment before the door slammed opened and shut, two blurs entering the room and panting heavily. As Miguel and Tulio leaned against the door together, Chel set the computer aside.

"I think... I think we lost her..." Miguel fought to catch his breath while his friend slid down the door until he reached the floor.

"She's _relentless_." Tulio shook his head slowly, struggling much like his friend. "Miguel-"

"I know, I know... just let... just let me think."

"If _I_ can't... come up with anything-" Tulio dragged a hand down his face, whatever calm he managed to collect disappearing as frost suddenly started forming on the wall of the apartment that faced the street. "What if we... go with... the old back-up?"

"Popocatépetl?" Miguel furrowed his brows, glancing at the frost. "You think... that'll work?"

For the second time that day, a wall exploded into bursts of ice, none other than Ice Queen herself standing just beyond the destruction on a ledge she'd created just outside the fourth floor apartment.

"You have a better idea?" Tulio hissed out through clenched teeth.

"Well, I suppose that was entertaining in a... bizarre way." The Prince suddenly appeared beside Ice Queen, lowered from above using some sort of black rope, with another length of rope looped over his shoulder. "But now, I think it's time we stop playing these little games, hmm?"

Miguel and Tulio exchanged one last look before sighing, nodding reluctantly. "Fine."

Miguel stepped forward, Tulio a step behind. "We'll take you to El Dorado."

"Excellent. Lead the way, gentlemen, and step lively." With a smug grin, The Prince adjusted his lapel. "I do have a schedule to keep."

As Miguel and Tulio made their way past The Prince and Ice Queen, the redheaded of the two turned to his associate.

"We probably should've taken that girl and the horse too, now that I think about it. Might've been good leverage to coerce their cooperation." Chel pressed herself against the wall, holding her breath as those piercing blue eyes flicked to her before going back to The Prince, who shrugged. "I suppose it doesn't matter. We have who we need."

As the The Prince disappeared to wherever Miguel and Tulio had gone, Ice Queen allowed her gaze to linger on Chel.

"I-I'm trying. Promento." Chel whispered, glancing back at the internet indicator on the computer's taskbar. When she looked up, the blonde was gone.

* * *

><p>Anna sighed, leaning back against the plane's hull as they flew across the Mexican countryside. The Cessna 182- a single prop plane primarily used for skydiving ventures by a kind pilot Anna and Kristoff had pulled out of the ocean after a crash a few years back- was buzzing pleasantly, though the space was a bit cramped with Sven huddled in the very back. Kristoff was, once again, clinging tightly to anything he could get a hold on, certain the plane would fall out of the sky at a moment's notice.<p>

That didn't stop him from lecturing her, though.

"Kris, seriously, drop it! I'm fine!"

"You're _not_ fine and I'm going to keep hounding you because you won't slow down otherwise," he replied, eyes shut tight as the plane rocked gently. "If this wasn't an Ice Queen mission, I would've told Mr. Oaken 'no' for you!"

The redhead groaned, rolling her eyes. "Kris, come on-"

"Anna, I'm not saying stop or quit or anything! Just, ya know, take better care of yourself!" He cracked one eye open. "That _includes_ taking time off to recover from injuries."

He was right, as much as she hated to admit it. "Sometimes, I wish I was made of adamantium."

"Unfortunately, you're just as mortal as the rest of us." Kristoff shuddered as the plane rocked slightly harder.

"Sorry 'bout that!" Dusty, the pilot, called back to them. "We should be to Mexico City soon!"

"Great!" Anna called back, quirking a brow as her communication device began to buzz. Pulling it free, she greeted Mr. Oaken with a smile.

"Yoo hoo! Just received update. The Prince and Ice Queen already kidnapped the two gentlemen." Anna grimaced. Crap, she wondered where they- "They take them to Popo..." Mr. Oaken frowned. "Popo..." He shrugged. "To volcano."

"They're going _where_?" Anna's face fell. Why on _Earth_ would they be going to a volcano?

"Is part of escape plan for men, Miguel and Tulio. They plan to use volcano to make escape."

"Did he just say volcano?" Kristoff groaned. "Is there, like, a cosmic bingo game, and someone's trying to get us to respond to all the natural disasters so they win a celestial gaming console or something?"

"It might be a crock pot," Anna replied, bidding Mr. Oaken goodbye and carefully making her way up to the cockpit of the plane. "Hey Dusty! Do you know of a volcano called Popo... something?"

"Huh? You mean Popocatépetl?"

Anna shrugged. "Sure. Is it close?"

"Relatively, I guess. It's outside of Mexico City at any rate. That where you need to go?" Anna nodded and Dusty adjusted their heading, pointing the plane slightly further to the southeast. "I can't get you too close." At Anna's curious look, Dusty chuckled and pointed towards the horizon. "See that black plume of smoke there? Just a pinprick? That's Popocatépetl."

"Great," Anna dryly replied. They were heading straight for an active volcano. Maybe Kristoff's idea had merit.

* * *

><p>Elsa sighed, wiping her brow as she continued to bring up the rear of the group as they trekked up the side of the clearly active volcano. This was beyond stupid and reckless and almost worse than busting into a military research lab and she was certain the supposed archaeologists were leading them on a wild goose chase anyway... but Hans was dead set on following this through. The blonde was nearly at her wits end trying to remain the cool, composed Ice Queen next to his obliviousness but that was their dynamic and she had to stick to it. Otherwise, he might get suspicious and that was the last thing she needed to deal with.<p>

Some part of her hoped they were too far away from civilization to be tracked down and Hans would wise up to the whole scheme in a few minutes. Anything that would end this whole debacle before the redhead actually showed up. If she'd known they'd be climbing an active volcano, she would've _never_ told that poor girl in the shack how to expedite the process. Fighting on the side of a mountain was a good deal more dangerous than in a building, forget the side of an active volcano. If Anna did appear and they began fighting and something happened...

Elsa shook herself, trying to dislodge the fear seeping into her heart. The heat certainly didn't help set her at ease. It was sweltering, especially compared to the Canadian night she'd awoken to, and it set her in a foul mood the moment they left the hovercraft.

She tried hard to ignore whether it was natural for the locale or if being next to an active volcano was adding to the heat.

This active volcano thing was _really_ getting under her skin.

If she didn't have the policy of speaking as little as possible during Hans' plots, she would've mentioned all this to him. As it was, she trudged along behind him silently, the two archaeologists a few feet ahead.

With a sigh, Hans looked over his shoulder, a frown tugging at his lips. "I'm beginning to think these two are charlatans."

The blonde resisted the urge to roll her eyes and slap a hand to her face, muttering to herself. "No shit."

"This is beginning to look..." His eyes narrowed as he stopped, looking far beyond Elsa. The blonde turned, following his gaze down the side of the volcano to see a large blob moving up the same path they'd taken. Her breath caught in her throat as she made out the reindeer's antlers. Hans, meanwhile, allowed a wide grin to claim his lips. "Success at last." He looked at Elsa. "Ice Queen, go entertain our guests." At Elsa's nod, he turned back towards the archaeologists who were arguing quietly among themselves a bit further up the path and slipped the rope from his shoulder. "You two, come here. Your part in this is almost done."

* * *

><p>Anna tightened her hold on Kristoff's waist as Sven pressed on, churning up the ground beneath them as they sped up the path. She couldn't imagine how difficult it was for the reindeer, as steep as the slope was and carrying the combined weight of the two teens. The Prince and Ice Queen were probably close to the lip of the volcano at this point, which was the only possible destination she could imagine would be necessary for an 'escape plan' to work.<p>

After leaving the plane, the traveling trio had parachuted as close as they safely could, being mindful of the turbulent winds caused by the heat of the volcano. The remaining distance, unfortunately, was solely on Sven's shoulders. They would've taken their time if there wasn't the threat of the volcano erupting at any moment and she spared a thought to wonder just how crazy The Prince was to take two men to an active volcano for... _some_ reason. It was far more dangerous than his usual 'take over the world' schemes. Then there was the nagging worry about Ice Queen. Just because she had ice powers didn't mean she was adversely affected by the heat, more than a regular person would be, right? The path up the volcano wasn't _too_ narrow, so there wasn't a likelihood of the blonde passing out from heat exhaustion and falling to her...

She _really_ hoped no one got hurt on this mission and her nervousness could be felt by her friend.

"Come on, Sven." Kristoff urged, leaning forward to help his buddy as much as he could. Sven brayed in response, lowering his head and charging forward. As he rounded a boulder that jutted onto the trail, the reindeer threw his head back in surprise and reared to dodge the flurry of icicles that cut across the path.

Anna slid from Sven's back, hitting the ground a moment later and jumping forward. "Ice Queen!"

The ice dissipated, revealing the blonde woman standing in the middle of the path with her usual impassive expression. "You rang?"

"Kristoff, find the, uh... guys." The redhead stepped up and dropped into an aggressive stance, a small grin gracing her lips. "Ice Queen is mine."

"Someone's possessive today." The woman's lips curled into a smirk, adopting her own fighting stance without budging from the middle of the path. "I'm flattered."

"Like you don't look forward to this as much as I do," Anna replied, hoping her voice sounded confident enough. Her focus was split between _trying_ to sound flirtatious and assessing the situation; there wasn't enough room for Sven to pass safely on either side of Ice Queen without putting one or both of them in danger.

She would have to make room then.

With a glance at Kristoff, Anna launched forward, closing the distance as quickly as she could. Ice Queen immediately countered with a warning blast of ice meant to stave the redhead off but she merely dropped into a slide, allowing the cold burst to pass over her. Before she could regain her feet, the blonde was stepping forward, swinging her leg in a vicious kick aimed for the redhead's side. Anna rolled away and aimed a sweeping kick at Ice Queen's other leg which the woman jumped over with ease. It bought the redhead enough time to stand up but, as one leg stepped back to stabilize her stance, her foot hit the rock. She was backed up against the side of the volcano while her opponent stood a few feet from the edge of the path, the forest and mountains providing a rather majestic backdrop as Ice Queen waited for Anna's next move.

The redhead fought very hard not to be _that_ entranced by the scene, especially when a light breeze ever so gently wove its way through light blonde locks.

With a quick shake of her head, Anna assessed the situation and leapt back into action, swinging her leg in a poorly telegraphed kick aimed for Ice Queen's side. Just as she hoped, the blonde trapped Anna's leg with one arm, ready to follow through with a toss. Anna beat her to the punch, hooking her leg around Ice Queen's waist and throwing her body weight back. It led to a rough fall on her back that nearly knocked the wind out of her but she pulled Ice Queen with her, her other leg wrapping around the blonde's waist as she crossed her ankles. Ice Queen's arms shot out to break her fall on instinct and Anna used it to her advantage, reaching up and pulling one of the blonde's arms to destabilize her and twisting her hips, effectively rolling them over. Anna quickly leaned forward, subconsciously shielding Ice Queen's head as she barked out to Kristoff.

"Go, now!"

A moment later, Sven was leaping over her and charging up the path, leaving Anna to keep Ice Queen's attention as he and Kristoff rushed to locate the archaeologists.

She just hoped Kristoff could handle The Prince and no one fell off the side of the volcano. That wasn't asking for too much, right?

In her moment of distraction, Ice Queen managed to work her arms between their bodies and pushed roughly at Anna's gut while twisting to the side, effectively separating them. Luckily, Anna wound up with her back to the path leading up the volcano, so she was still in a position to prevent Ice Queen from pursuing her friends.

"Looks like it's just you and me." Anna adopted her stance, this time focusing on keeping her defenses up and her eyes trained on her opponent.

The blonde smirked and flicked her wrist, raising her arm to form an icy barrier along the side of the path. Ice Queen then tilted her head to the side, beckoning Anna closer with one hand. "I'm not complaining."

* * *

><p>Kristoff looked over his shoulder for the fifth time as he and Sven continued up the volcano. The nagging guilt at leaving Anna behind to face Ice Queen was slight but still there; this mission was too far from his comfort zone for his liking.<p>

It briefly occurred to him how odd his life had to be when running into a building that he was fully aware had the capability to explode was considered the heart of his comfort zone, but he set that aside as Sven brought his attention to the path ahead of them.

There in the middle of the path was The Prince, with his sword already drawn and a haughty smile on his lips. Behind him were the archaeologists, tied together with their hands behind their backs and cloth over their mouths. Sven halted a safe distance away from The Prince, allowing Kristoff to dismount before shifting closer to the edge, allowing his master to stick closer to the wall.

"Bienvenido, amigo," The Prince said with a heavily embellished accent, raising his sword arm and bringing the weapon to the ready. "Are you enjoying your visit?"

"More than you are, I bet," Kristoff replied, pulling his pick ax free of Sven's saddle. He usually didn't try engaging The Prince in conversation but this situation was a bit too volatile to just dive straight into the fighting. He needed to keep The Prince distracted for a bit first. "You went from trying to rule the world to kidnapping. That seems like a few steps backwards to me."

"Everything is a means to an end, my boy. But speaking of a step back, where's your girlfriend?" The Prince made a show of trying to look behind Kristoff. "Don't tell me you finally decided to drop the dead weight."

"Okay, for one thing, we're not dating. We're just friends." Kristoff rolled his eyes. Geez, he honestly couldn't remember the last time he'd had to say that, except that it was practically his catch phrase during seventh grade. "Second, she is _not_ dead weight."

"Oh?" The Prince raised a brow, slight confusion flashing in his eyes.

"_Yes_." The blond gritted out, not sure which part of his response was prompting the confusion but wary all the same. Something was definitely off about this whole situation, though he couldn't tell exactly what- aside from the obvious, like the location and motive. Slowly stepping to the side, he started circling The Prince, prompting the redhead to do the same. Behind him, the blond could hear the faint scraping of hooves against rock.

Finally, the man blinked, his resolve returning as if it never left. "Well, I suppose I simply don't believe you."

"Congratulations. I wasn't aware you could form your own opinions. I'm impressed." In that moment, as The Prince blinked in surprise for the second time in as many minutes, Kristoff was a little glad for that stupid rivalry with Phillip; it taught him how to be quick with snarky comebacks.

"You're impressed?" He barked a laugh. "I sincerely doubt you know the meaning of the word. Allow me to help define it for you!"

Kristoff didn't even feign surprise as The Prince lunged forward, steel meeting iron as the blond parried the simple thrust. As metal met metal, Sven carefully advanced along the edge of the fight, working his way to the bound men.

The reindeer didn't like the prospect of leaving Kristoff alone to fight The Prince anymore than leaving Anna to deal with Ice Queen, but he trusted both humans to keep their respective opponents distracted while he ferried the victims to safety. Then he would return to provide whatever help he could. As he neared the men, they seemed to read the situation as well, the blond one leaning forward so his friend could pull his legs up and brace himself against the rock face. Sven turned around, backing up so the two men could maneuver- a bit awkwardly, mind- themselves onto the reindeer's back. After they were more or less there, he raised his hindquarters sharply to jostle them higher onto his back. It wasn't the most ideal situation but he could work with this.

He just had to wait for the right moment to charge away from this mess.

* * *

><p>Anna ducked another wintry blast and countered with a wicked uppercut that just barely missed Ice Queen's jaw, following with a quick jab to the woman's gut. She couldn't pull back fast enough though, the blonde catching her wrist and pulling her forward by the arm. Before she could adjust her momentum, Ice Queen kneed her in the stomach, causing the redhead to curl into herself instinctively with a groan. As she stumbled backwards and fought to straighten, Ice Queen circled around her.<p>

The blonde narrowed those piercing blue eyes suspiciously. "You're slower than usual."

Anna bit her lip momentarily. She had hoped Ice Queen wouldn't notice that she was favoring her bad leg, forcing her to reconsider her typical fighting style. She also hated admitting Kristoff had a really good point that _maybe_ she bit off a bit more than she could chew this year. "Sorry."

Ice Queen paused, quirking a brow. "You're apologizing."

The redhead could feel her cheeks heating up in a blush. She hadn't meant to say that aloud. Trapped in the blonde's gaze, Anna did the only thing she could think of: she rolled with it. "Of course, Your Majesty. I aim to please you."

Her blush intensified a few notches. Where had _that_ come from?

Ice Queen appeared unaffected by Anna's attempt at flirting, her face smoothing out into indifference. Okay, so she totally blew it. Great. All that worrying and those really embarrassing talks and now she-

Wait.

"You're blushing," Anna said, wonder coloring her tone as she noticed the faint pink tint to the woman's otherwise pale skin. In the back of her mind, she was completely aware her stance was relaxing but she couldn't quite bring herself to care.

Ice Queen crossed her arms over her stomach, eyes darting away briefly. "I'm better suited to the cold; this climate makes me uncomfortably warm."

Anna mentally applauded herself for anticipating the blonde's dislike of the warm weather, but she was fairly certain it wasn't the cause of that faint blush. It couldn't be. But there was really only one way she could think of to be sure, pretty much the rule she lived by: give it her all.

"Why not just say you're hot?" The redhead grinned as Ice Queen's blush became a little more pronounced. Maybe Mr. Fa was right about the whole 'say what comes to mind' thing. It seemed to be working. She hoped. "Because I'd totally agree."

"Is that so?" Could that be genuine curiosity in the blonde's voice? She was looking at Anna, suspicion evident in her eyes but also... hope? Maybe? Was she reading too much into this or projecting or some other silly thing she was totally likely to do? Ice Queen began circling her again, drawing closer with each step while trying to be subtle about it. "Somehow, I doubt you're being honest."

"Are you kidding? You're gorgeous!" Anna tensed slightly, realizing that _maybe_ she had a bit of a filter problem she hadn't previously accounted for and wondering if it was to her benefit or detriment. Her heart squeezed painfully at the thought that she was completely screwing this up but, honestly, the organ had stopped doing its job faithfully a few minutes ago; between nearly stopping with Ice Queen's every word and hammering in her chest during her own replies, she was more than a little surprised she hadn't passed out already.

But, if the look Ice Queen was giving her at that moment was any indication... it was all definitely to her benefit.

"This coming from the girl with the cutest freckles I've ever seen." Ice Queen smirked, shifting her weight to one foot and placing her hands on her hips as it was Anna's turn to blush a little brighter, a ridiculous grin fighting to the surface. So much for playing it cool, as if that was ever a feasible plan to begin with. The redhead suddenly noticed their proximity; she could reach out and touch the other woman if she so desired. Which she did. Crap. "Cat got your tongue, Princess?"

"P-princess?" Anna blinked, taken off guard by the sudden title. Well, it certainly fit the villains' royal theme... wait, did that mean she was putting them both on the same level? It certainly didn't _seem _condescending, even if princess was a lesser title than queen. Not like usual, when The Prince called her and Kristoff kids.

The redhead's silence seemed to amuse Ice Queen, who smirked a little wider. "Do you like my nicknames?" The redhead's mouth opened and closed a few times as she floundered. "I think you do, Snowflake." Ice Queen raised one hand, her gloved finger lightly tracing along Anna's jaw. "But if not, you _really_ should."

Crap, Ice Queen was _way_ better at being flirty and everything and just... wait a minute. "What's your name?"

"Ice Queen," came the instant reply and Anna rolled her eyes.

"No, I mean your _real_ name. I mean, don't get me wrong, I like Ice Queen, because you have the whole ice magic thing going and you're as regal and beautiful and amazing as a queen and, crap-" Anna took a deep breath, trying to will down the heat rising in her cheeks and get a handle on herself. "Here," she said, placing a hand on her chest. "My name is Anna Andersen." She held her hand out between them, barely having to reach out given how they had miraculously gravitated towards each other during the conversation. "What's yours?"

It was Ice Queen's turn to be stunned, though she maintained her dignity through her silence, something Anna couldn't help but admire. The blonde's eyes widened slightly and her smirk fell but at least she didn't resemble a fish out of water.

A few seconds passed with no answer coming from the blonde and Anna glanced away a moment, trying not to be disappointed. She should've known better, should've expected-

Without warning, the redhead suddenly lashed out with both hands, sending the blonde careening backwards until she fetched up against the rock. Anna threw herself back against the ice barrier the moment after, just barely managing to clear the way for Sven as he raced past. Unfortunately, she'd used too much force and she could feel the ice cracking behind her as her momentum continued. It abruptly halted and Anna breathed a sigh of relief, pulling herself forward and settling into her stance once more. Ice Queen was already focused on her with that impassive mask back in place, arms up and ready to fight.

Internally, she winced; that probably set her back a bit on the whole trying-to-win-her-over scale. A word of warning might've been better but she'd acted on instinct. She should apologize?

Nope, too late, Ice Queen was already closing the distance with one arm cocked back and the redhead returned her attention to defending herself from her opponent's strikes.

The next slight break in their fight, though, she was going to try again.

* * *

><p>Chel muttered another prayer as she pulled back on Altivo's reins. After sending off the message, she'd spent about five minutes collecting what few personal items she could fit into an old tote and left the apartment for good. The blonde woman's actions had drawn more than enough attention for the local authorities to assemble and slipping away hadn't been easy. There really wasn't any going back at this point.<p>

"Esperate, Altivo." Chel put a hand on the horse's muzzle as he nickered, obviously wanting to follow her. However, with the smoke column hanging thickly in the air above the volcano, she didn't want the poor creature any closer than he needed to be; this whole mess wasn't his fault. Gathering up her courage, Chel started towards the entry point for the path up the volcano but stopped short as... a very furry and horned horse raced around the corner, carrying two familiar faces.

"Chel!" Tulio called out, relief washing over him as they drew up beside her, the horned horse trying to assist them in dismounting. "Oh thank goodness you're okay."

"You will _not_ believe the day we've had." Miguel laughed, turning slightly. "Think you can untie this?"

Rolling her eyes, Chel pulled a knife from her back pocket and flicked it open, reaching up and cutting through the rope easily. "How'd you escape?"

"Some kids came and started fighting those two crazy people." Miguel rubbed at his wrists, swinging his leg so he could sit properly. "Now, let's get out of here!"

Chel turned to mount Altivo, settling herself and ready to follow the furry horse... that was standing rather resolutely, despite Miguel's urging.

"Come on. Let's go."

Tulio groaned, sitting behind the blond. "What is wrong with this reindeer?"

The reindeer started rearing up and bucking, trying to dislodge the men who were holding on for dear life.

"Could! This! Get! Any! Worse!" Tulio shouted, his words punctuated by each wild movement of the reindeer beneath him.

Suddenly, a low rumble shook the very ground beneath them, prompting everyone to turn their gazes up to the volcano's peak.

Of course it was erupting. Of. Course.

Miguel reached behind him and slapped his friend. "Tulio, why did you say anything?"

The reindeer brayed, starting back towards the volcano. He had to get his friends to safety, had to- Wait. No, they would be fine.

"I swear, this animal- Whoa!" Miguel once again clung to the reindeer's antlers as it swung around and started charging away from the volcano. Chel spurred Altivo after her friends, trying to ignore the erupting volcano behind them.

* * *

><p>Anna bit her lip, ducking beneath a sweeping high kick and backing up to create some space. She was looking for another opportunity to stop fighting and start a conversation... without being too obvious about it. She couldn't begin to understand what the relationship between Ice Queen and The Prince was or why Ice Queen did what she did; the last thing she wanted to do was somehow get the blonde in trouble with her employer or- the pessimistic part of her mind that sounded suspiciously like Kristoff sometimes- find out that she actually <em>was<em> evil and waiting for the redhead to drop her guard completely.

She doubted that was the case but, still, she had to play it safe, if for no better reason than so she wouldn't have Kristoff chastising her about it later.

The redhead waited a moment for the next attack but none was forthcoming; Ice Queen was observing her, as if waiting herself.

Sweet! This was her chance, she just had to say something witty and flirty and-

The ground beneath her feet trembled as a deep, thrumming growl echoed far above. As the volcano began to rumble, the black smoke spewing from its summit tinged with reds and oranges, Anna and Ice Queen turned worried eyes up the mountain's side.

"Kristoff." Anna whispered, turning to charge up the path and reach her friend. She'd taken only a few steps when a wall of ice blocked her, ice forming a sheet beneath her feet that her spiked boots scratched against. Confused, she turned and readied herself to growl out a warning but stopped short at the concentration on Ice Queen's face, which was tilted back to study the volcano. A moment later, the sheet of ice was rising up, the sudden momentum forcing Anna to her knees to keep her balance. She looked back to the blonde, who had moved closer as if ready to prevent Anna from falling and was using her powers to bring both of them up the side of the volcano much quicker than if Anna had ran.

Oh, right- if Kristoff was still near the summit, it stood to reason he was dealing with The Prince. Carefully moving herself on the rising sheet of ice, Anna remained kneeling beside Ice Queen, one hand flat against the sheet to stabilize her as they rocketed towards the top of the volcano. Her concern for her friend easily focused her mind, though she couldn't completely ignore the impulse to wrap her other arm around Ice Queen's leg.

For support, of course.

"Thanks," she said, stealing a glance up at the blonde. It was barely there, beneath the concentration, but Anna could make out the worry shining in those blue eyes. It hurt a little, but only a little; she accepted a long time ago that whatever their relationship, The Prince was important to Ice Queen.

Forcing her attention back to the task at hand, the redhead pushed all else to the back of her mind for later. She needed to find Kristoff before lava started flowing. The rock face of the volcano flew past them as they ascended, Anna's eyes scanning left and right as quickly as she could. They were already several feet above a cutback in the path when movement caught Anna's eye.

"There!" Anna tapped Ice Queen's leg to get her attention as The Prince and Kristoff rounded the corner on the switchback they'd just passed. The blonde instantly stopped their rise and formed a slide of ice, slipping down it with ease to land in front of the men. Anna followed a bit more carefully, sliding on her rear and nearly running into the blonde as she reached the bottom.

"Ice Queen, it's time to go," The Prince said, casting a glance at the sky as molten red lava began spewing from the volcano's mouth.

The blonde nodded, dispersing the ice column she'd used to scale the volcano's side and flicking both wrists. A large ice slide sprung forth, leading away from the volcano with supports stabbing down into the ground. The Prince wasted no time in jumping onto the slide and Ice Queen was a few steps behind him.

Before she stepped onto the slide, Ice Queen shot a look over her shoulder and nodded towards the icy escape, making a vague 'follow us' motion with her hand.

Anna nodded. "Come on, Kristoff."

"Are you serious?" he replied, shoulders jumping as the volcano growled again. "Why should we believe this isn't a trap? They just spent half an hour trying to hurt us!"

"But they didn't!" The redhead smiled, grabbing his wrist and dragging him along. "Also, can you outrun lava?"

"I'd really rather not find out."

"Then let's go!"

The two teens stepped onto the ice slide. Kristoff instantly lost his balance- Ice Queen made it look far too easy- while Anna merely sat down, both sliding on their rears down the slide. Kristoff grit his teeth, crossing his arms over his chest, ducking his chin, and crossing his feet at the ankles so he could control his descent a little bit. Anna, on the other hand, had her arms up, feet in the air to keep the spikes from catching, and a wide smile on her lips.

"Woohoo, yeah!" Anna laughed, careening down the slide with Kristoff just ahead of her. She could see The Prince further down the way, curled up much like Kristoff, while Ice Queen looked like she was surfing across the ice. It was a decidedly cool experience in the redhead's opinion, until the volcano roared louder, lava arcing up into the sky as rocks flew from the summit, dislodged by the force of the eruption.

"That's not good." Kristoff mumbled, watching as flaming rocks fell or rolled down from the top of the volcano, a river of lava forming as black smoke continued to pour from the summit.

Ice Queen looked over her shoulder, noted the falling rocks, then turned forward again, waving her arms in a flurry of precise movements. Suddenly, the slide- which had led away from the volcano in a gentle slope but a straight line- deviated wildly to dodge a flaming rock, sending the four occupants on a wild shift to the side.

Kristoff glanced to his right, saw the ground that only the laws of physics were keeping him from falling towards, and set his sights just beyond his feet once more. Just when he thought things _couldn't_ get any worse.

The slide evened out once more, but Ice Queen was still manipulating the ice as more rocks and bits of lava rained from the sky, sending their path careening wildly from side to side, and even upside down a time or two.

The Prince dug his heels into the ice to slow his descent, allowing him to drop back a little and come even with the blonde. Throwing as much of a glare as he could while his stomach fought vertigo, he hissed out. "Are you enjoying yourself?"

"A little." Ice Queen shrugged. "We need to clear the area. This is the fastest way."

"This is _insane_."

"This is awesome!" Anna called out, laughing as the slide shifted them to the side once more.

The Prince tried glaring over his shoulder but the movement didn't sit well with his stomach.

"For the record, I agree with you!" Kristoff yelled, curling into himself a little harder as the slide dropped out from beneath them, a large, flaming rock falling just ahead of The Prince, where the slide had been moments before.

Ice Queen reformed the slide beneath them as four individual runs rather than one large one they shared, allowing her to manipulate their paths more easily. Kristoff's and The Prince's paths stayed more or less straight, dodging side-to-side as gently as possible. Anna's, on the other hand, took a wild route, up, down, and over, matched only by Ice Queen's own as they wove their way away from the volcano and out across the forest.

The redhead was having a blast. She couldn't even attempt to surf on the ice the way Ice Queen was doing but she'd swung herself around until she was lying on her stomach, heading headfirst down the slide. This was amazing! It felt like she was flying, the air tossing her braids around as her arms swung out to her sides.

She looked around at the others, noting the severe panic on Kristoff's face, the mild annoyance on The Prince's, and... dang. Anna felt her jaw drop open as she watched Ice Queen's movements- the intricate paths her hands and arms took to direct the ice- and the expression on her face. The Ice Queen's mask of indifference was gone; in its stead, unbridled joy, utterly uninhibited happiness sparkled in the blonde's eyes and shone plain as day on her face as she worked her magic. Sure, there was that twinge of concentration per usual, but Anna could easily see how much Ice Queen enjoyed manipulating her magic, and just how beautiful she looked doing it.

"Sven!" Kristoff's voice jostled her out of her quiet admiration and she looked down to see the reindeer below them, still carrying the two men as a white horse galloped alongside him carrying a young woman with flowing black hair Anna didn't recognize.

Whether it was because they were a safe distance from the erupting volcano or to be kind and reunite the teens with their four legged friend, Anna couldn't be sure, but suddenly Ice Queen's slides fell away completely and the four began falling, Kristoff screaming in terror while Anna hollered in enjoyment. But then there was ice beneath them once again, directing their descent into a huge, spontaneous snow bank that cushioned their crash landing.

As soon as they were in it, Kristoff was fighting to the surface, shivering against the cold.

"Whoa! What the heck?" He brushed the snow from his shoulders and arms. "You've gotta be-"

"Sweet!" Anna popped out of the snow bank, fists thrust in the air. "That was _awesome_!"

"Glad to see you two are a match made in a frozen Heaven." Kristoff grumbled, motioning to Sven as the reindeer neared them. "Pull us out, buddy."

Sven brayed, offering his antlers to the teens and pulling them out as his passengers dismounted.

"Well, this has been fun, hasn't it Miguel?"

"Don't blame _me_ for this, Tulio," Miguel replied, offering the teens a small wave as they brushed snow from their clothes. "Well, thank you both for the assistance, but I think it's time for us to be going."

"¿Y vaya donde, exactamente?" The woman scowled at the two men. "El apartamento se destruye! ¿Usted quiere volver atrás y explicar al propietario lo que pasó? ¿O la policía?"

Miguel and Tulio exchanged a look before turning to the teens, carefully practiced, disarming smiles adorning their faces.

"Say... where are you kids from, anyway?" Miguel clapped a hand on Kristoff's shoulder, Tulio mirroring the action on Anna.

"Uh, Arendelle, Colorado," the redhead replied, slightly surprised by the question.

"Splendid!" Miguel laughed. "We were just heading that way ourselves-"

"-we have family in the area, you see." Tulio picked up where his friend left off. "Not too far from Arendelle, actually."

"So, if, on your way back-"

"-you could drop us off-"

"-we would be most appreciative-"

"-really, dropping us off anywhere that's not Mexico would be a _huge_ help!"

"Ay Dios mio." Chel mumbled to herself, rubbing her temple. "Altivo, why I put up with these idiotas? Ya no sé."

Kristoff shook his head, smacking Miguel's hand away a moment later. "Wait a minute, are you being serious? Why should we give you two a lift _anywhere_?"

"Hey, whoa, what's with this sudden hostility?" Tulio sidled up to Kristoff. "We're all friends here. Can't you help some friends out?"

"No way; for all we know, you two are criminals looking for a free ride out of Mexico!"

As Kristoff continued arguing with the two men, Anna watched, slightly amused, until something pelted her in the back of her head. Something _cold_. Running her hand across the affected area to dislodge the snow, the redhead turned, scanning the trees lining the road towards the volcano. As she made to turn around, another snowball was lobbed, and this time Anna could see Ice Queen ducking back behind a tree as the soft projectile hit her in the chest.

Anna glanced over her shoulder to ensure Kristoff was still busy arguing with the two men they'd rescued. Slowly, she backed away from the exchange that was growing slightly heated as it raged on, one of the men- she thought Miguel, maybe- outright begging for assistance, and slipped into the treeline, only taking a few steps before she caught sight of a clearing ahead through the foliage, moving aside a branch to see The Prince pacing furiously beside another mound of snow. So, that's where they landed, but where was-

A rustle to her left had the redhead whirling to face whatever threat might be there- Mexico had its fair share of predators in the forests- but was met with Ice Queen leaning nonchalantly against a tree. She was quiet a moment, regarding Anna as the redhead waited for her next move, before pushing off from the tree and putting her left hand on her chest.

"Elsa."

There was a moment of silence before it clicked.

"Elsa." Anna repeated, a goofy grin claiming her lips. "Your name's Elsa! Wow, that's an awesome name!" It wasn't her full name, obviously, but it was _something_! "It's nice to finally meet you!"

Ice Queen stepped forward, holding up a finger to quiet the redhead. "It's our little secret. Okay, Princess?"

The blonde smirked and Anna could do nothing but nod dumbly, elation and surprise warring within her. By the time she got herself straightened out enough to say anything, their attention was drawn away.

"Ice Queen! Ice Queen, let's go!"

Anna could just barely see through the leaves where The Prince was grasping one of the black ropes the duo used to enter and exit their hovercraft, the other lightly swaying in the wind. As she turned back, Ice Queen already had her impassive mask firmly in place, though she gave a slight nod before rushing forward, crashing through the leaves.

With only a few seconds' hesitation, Anna followed her. As she broke through and into the clearing, she could hear Kristoff and Sven tearing their ways through and calling out for her, but Ice Queen was already a good twenty feet in the air and staring resolutely towards the craft above her.

Their little secret, huh?

"Anna, geez." Kristoff wheezed, catching his breath as he and Sven came to a stop beside her. "Next time you decide to take off after Ice Queen, let me know, okay?" He shook his head, wiping his brow with the back of his hand. "Also, I thought we agreed we only _stop_ those two, _not_ try to catch them? What were you thinking?"

"I'll tell you on the ride back," Anna said, barely able to restrain herself from jumping up and down in excitement.

Momentarily blinded to his friend's enthusiasm, Kristoff frowned severely, motioning to the group that followed in their wake, both men still wearing disgustingly charming smiles. "Speaking of the ride back, can you believe these guys? They want to come with us!"

"Okay!" Anna laughed, completely ignoring Kristoff's shock as she pulled out her communication device. "Hey Mr. Oaken! Think you can find a ride for five people, a horse, and a reindeer?"

"Uh, ya, I can." The burly man chuckled and raised a brow. "Everything good, ya?"

"It's _amazing_!" The redhead gushed, earning curious glances from everyone but Kristoff and Sven as the latter two finally caught on to her seemingly unexplained burst of enthusiasm. Before she could say anything further, a loud boom reminded her of the somewhat still immediate danger. "Uh, we're going to move a little further away from the volcano, but yeah, could you send someone?"

* * *

><p>Hans kept a death grip on the hovercraft's controls, glancing continuously at the various gauges and sparing a glance to Elsa every so often. It wasn't that he didn't know how to operate the transport, or even that he was a bad pilot, but it was something Elsa usually did. Given how hard she was fighting to keep awake, however, it was safest to let him do it.<p>

He finally broke the silence, if for no better reason than to calm his own nerves. "Are you sure you didn't overexert yourself?"

"I'm fine, Hans, I promise. Just tired," Elsa replied, flexing her hands and shifting in her seat, trying to find a position that was just uncomfortable enough to be bearable while discouraging her from falling asleep.

She hadn't anticipated how the weather would affect her aside from her mood; usually their ventures into warmer locales didn't take them from a decent air conditioner for much longer than an hour. Being out in the heat- sure, it was fall, but that was still over a fifty degree swing from a _warm_ day at the Palace- was a drain on her physically; using her powers to form _ice_ while suffering from the heat was even more draining. Though Elsa hated to admit it, she was quietly glad Anna wasn't up to her usual prowess and more interested in talking than fighting.

Her lips curled into a grin at the redhead even as she tried to fight down the hope rising in her chest. What had gotten _into her_? The redhead went from being a mostly silent opponent into a flirty, sweet talking, down right _distracting_ spitfire in the blink of an eye! Could Hans' stupid plan have anything to do with it? Did her letter... did it actually have an effect?

Elsa's face instantly smoothed out at that thought. No, of course that couldn't be the root cause. The redhead had no idea who sent that letter, so the change in attitude couldn't have anything to do with it. Unless... Hans had a point about opening other avenues?

No, she was being stupidly optimistic. Anna was naturally a friendly person; she was probably just trying to befriend her arch nemesis. That seemed completely within the redhead's personality; she was a naturally friendly person with a warm disposition. The letter probably hadn't even reached Anna's house yet. There was a long ways between their remote hiding spot in Canada and a small town in Colorado, not that she could really find the location on a globe if she tried.

She always followed the pull of her powers home; Hans was the one who needed a map.

Elsa turned her head to glance through the glass at the clouds racing past, still lingering on the redhead's words. Anna had called her gorgeous, beautiful, amazing- she couldn't help but feel a thrill as she recalled the way the girl's lips formed the words 'your majesty'. While some part of her mind was chiding her for being a pervert- because, oh wow, how could she _not_?- the rest of her was lost to enjoying that brief exchange and the promise of more. Maybe, if she could keep Hans from overhearing them, they could flirt- no, banter, she needed to be precise about these things and it was just teasing, it wasn't... real.

But she could pretend it was.

"Elsa, seriously, are you going to be okay?" She turned to regard her friend. "Your whole face is flushed. Are you suffering from heat exhaustion?"

Reining in her thoughts, Elsa cleared her throat and shook her head. "I'm fine, just a bit warm is all. Can you turn on the AC?"

"Oh, right, I should've done that when I retrieved the hovercraft." He reached over and adjusted the knobs until cool air filled the cockpit. "Better?"

"Much." Elsa offered him a smile, returning her gaze to the way ahead. But her eyes were unfocused, unseeing as she contemplated Hans' next ill fated plot- speaking of which, she would have to add the provision 'no volcanoes' to the list of things he should consider- and her options.

She'd written the first letter to Anna as something of a confession and a goodbye, determined that if, during their next meeting, Anna appeared affronted by their last exchange, she could let go of all hope and allow her broken heart to mend. Well, the redhead hadn't seemed affronted in the least; she seemed to _enjoy_ it as much as Elsa did. So now, she had a choice: go through with ending her hopeless infatuation with the redhead by remaining the stoic Ice Queen next time and forcing herself not to care... or allow herself to play this strange new game and wait for the inevitable heartbreak.

The first was a resignation to be miserable for a time and, hopefully, get over it after a while. In the long run it would be less painful, more practical, the smart decision...

"But." Elsa sighed, the word nothing more than a barely formed exhalation, one Hans didn't notice, to her relief. It was that pause, that 'but' she couldn't stop herself from adding, that forced her to consider the obvious: if she didn't try, she'd never be _sure_. It might mean a harder fall at the end but the hope that Anna felt the same was too strong, too tempting.

Well... that was that, then, as if there'd ever been a choice in the first place. If this was the game Anna wanted to play, then she would rise to the challenge.

She hoped the redhead was ready for the next time their paths crossed.

* * *

><p>Kristoff chuckled to himself, shaking his head as Anna practically danced in her seat. Dusty had returned to give them a lift back home, cashing in a favor to borrow a larger plane to transport the added passengers back to Colorado. He wasn't <em>happy<em> about it but, after giving her companions an earful in Spanish, Chel introduced herself and promised she'd keep the two in line going forward. After learning the whole story behind why The Prince was trying to kidnap the 'archaeologists', Kristoff believed her when she said they'd learned their lesson about conning people and would make honest lives in America, wherever they ended up.

Finding out that Miguel and Tulio were actually from the area like they'd said was pretty much the last bit he needed to believe them; they both attended Berk High School and would go back to the city that raised them looking for work. They'd be close enough to keep an eye on, which he was certain was something the Sheriff would be interested in doing once she was made aware of the situation.

With all that taken care of, the blond turned his attention to his hyperactive friend and found out what had happened after they'd parted ways on the path, and the about short exchange in the forest he barely missed. There was still one question though.

"So, what _is_ her name?"

He waited as the redhead bit her lip, an amused grin on his face. The grin fell quickly as he found a finger thrust in his face.

"Let's make one thing clear, Kristoff." Anna was outright _scowling_ at him in her best 'I'm being dead serious' face ever. "_If_ I tell you, and you tell another living soul- aside from Sven- I _will_ make you regret it."

"Whoa, settled down, Feisty Pants, I won't tell, I swear!" Kristoff held up his hands in surrender. "What's the big deal?"

"She said it was our secret." Anna sat back in her seat. "And I don't want the whole town knowing. It's..."

"Special, I got it." Kristoff laughed. "_Man_ you've got it bad for Ice Queen! It's kinda funny."

"Elsa," the redhead replied, a goofy smile on her lips as she reverted to being the giddy goofball he loved. "Her name's _Elsa_, Kris! She told me her name!"

Kristoff punched her shoulder. "That's great! See? I told you she likes you."

"Yeah." Anna quieted down at that, slipping into contemplation, though obviously still excited. There was almost no doubt in her mind now. Ice Queen could've teased her with the information or withheld it- and, heck, there was that pessimism reminding her it could very well be a fake name but she was firmly telling that part of herself to shut up- yet, she didn't. That _had_ to mean there was something there, something she just _had_ to pursue.

But that wasn't all. If she ever needed proof regarding Ice Queen's choices, this was certainly it; despite whatever circumstances compelled Ice Queen to help The Prince try to take over the world, she was a good person at heart. The blonde helped Anna find Kristoff when she didn't have to _and_ got both of them to safety when she could've easily left them to find their own way down the volcano. She could've attacked Anna when the redhead wasn't paying attention in the forest.

Ice Queen didn't do any of that. She wasn't a monster, not in the slightest.

_Crap_.

Slapping a hand to her forehead, the redhead groaned. How could she forget!

"What is it now, Anna?"

"I totally forgot to warn Ice Queen about that Colonel!" Worry and guilt washed over her as she turned to her friend, a slight panic clawing at her heart. "Please, tell me you warned The Prince!"

"Dang it, I forgot too," Kristoff replied with a helpless shrug. "But don't worry, Anna, I think they're okay. I mean, we're in Mexico, and I'm pretty sure that Colonel isn't going to come down here and try to question anybody."

The redhead's gaze instantly snapped to the other passengers.

"Oh, right." Kristoff grabbed Anna by the arm when she tried to get up. "Anna, no, stay here while I deal with them."

"I can talk to them just fine, Kristoff."

"Only because you're angry and you're probably just going to threaten them with INS." He deadpanned, earning nothing but a glare in reply. "Let me handle this, okay?"

The redhead sighed and nodded, sitting back in her seat. The blond got up and carefully walked across the plane's seating area, giving Sven a pat on the head as he continued to lap up water from a large bowl Dusty happened to have lying around. He would have to thank Officer Brooks tomorrow at school, if they got back too late; bringing those water jugs was a good idea, given the workout the reindeer received on the mission. The horse- Altivo, apparently, was much more skittish riding in the plane and was having a harder time doing much of anything aside from keeping as calm as he could.

Just on the other side of the horse, Miguel, Tulio, and Chel were sitting and talking, likely planning what they would do once the plane landed.

"Hey there, Kristoff!" Miguel smiled wide, standing up as if to give him a hug before a bit of turbulence forced him back into his seat. Kristoff tried to force himself not to get sick at the sudden motion; he really hated air travel.

"Hey, guys, listen, we need you three to do us a big favor." Kristoff started, grabbing onto an empty seat to stabilize himself. The three readily agreed, Miguel and Tulio a bit quicker than Chel. "See, those two you met, The Prince and Ice Queen? We need you to never mention them to anyone under any circumstances. Ever."

The three blinked at him, confused, before Tulio spoke. "Is there a particular reason for this request?"

"Yes, but honestly, the less you know about it, the better." Kristoff sighed. "Just, please, do this for us?"

Miguel and Tulio exchanged a look before smiling and leaning forward. Before they could say anything, however, Chel smacked both of them on the back of their heads.

"We'll do it," she said, sending a pointed glare at her friends and hissing something at them in Spanish that had both of them nodding along. "Promento."

"I promise, too," both men said after Chel looked at them.

"Thanks. We really appreciate it." Kristoff made his way back to his seat, patting Anna's shoulder as he sat down. "There. Problem solved."

Anna sighed in relief. "Thanks, Kris."

"Next time, I promise I'll remind you about the Colonel thing." Kristoff settled into his seat as much as he could. There was no chance of rest, though, as he could feel the energy returning to the redhead. "You want to tell me about her again, don't you?"

"Uh huh."

"Go ahead."

It was a long flight back home.

* * *

><p>Author's Note: True story: was really tempted to use "Princess Snow Kaguya" as Elsa's alter ego name. So very, very tempted. Anyway, hope you enjoyed this installment and, as always, thanks for the faves, follows, and reviews. More of the flirting to come, now that both our leading ladies are on the same page... kinda. Unfortunately, updates may be delayed going forward due to an injury that's rendered my dominant arm mostly useless. My other arm has lasting nerve damage from high school so... yeah, basic tasks are difficult enough, not to mention work. Typing is... tedious. Sorry guys; wasn't anticipating this. Next week's update should be fine since it's already mostly written but it really depends on my pain level to finish it. I got a bit... distracted this week. Really sorry guys.<p> 


	10. The Games We Play

**Disclaimer**: All characters are from their respective works. Also, Happy Holidays to everyone! Alright, some German _and_ some Spanish this time around, but much less than previously. Danke schön - Thank you very much. Bitte schön - You're welcome. A veces, quiero matarlo - Sometimes, I want to kill him. Pinche guey - Fucking idiot. Su madre era un hámster - Your mother was a hamster. Y su padre olía de bayas - And your father smelled of berries. Because I have no idea what an elderberry actually _is _and therefore have no idea how to say it in Spanish, bayas is close enough. What? I can't make Monty Python jokes? Oh! A 'butter bar' is a 2nd Lieutenant in the American Armed Forces; it's referring to the single bar colored gold that represents their rank, the same way 'Railroad Tracks' and 'Full Bird' refer to Captain and Colonel respectively. And 'terp is just a shortened form of the word interpreter.

* * *

><p>Elsa sat on the couch in the Oven, a small smile on her lips as she watched Hans continue his pacing and muttering. According to Olaf, this little display would last for a few hours, two or three times a day, and it started after they got back from Mexico. Had she not been so distracted, she probably would've noticed his erratic behavior herself. As it was, the blonde allowed herself a few days to bask in the afterglow of...<em>whatever<em> it was she'd shared with Anna.

Besides, he would eventually break down and ask for her opinion or assistance. For now, she was entirely content to let him wear a hole in the floor.

The longer he remained distracted by whatever was eating at him, the better, as far as she was concerned; it meant it would take that much longer for him to come up with the next ill-fated plan for... _whatever_ it was they were trying to accomplish.

She wasn't even sure anymore.

There was a lot she wasn't sure about anymore, now that she thought about it. Since they returned, she'd replayed every moment of the all-too-brief interactions inside her head dozens of times, starting- of course- with meeting the redhead on the side of the volcano.

Anna.

How was it this girl could so easily turn her world upside down with nothing more than a few comments?

"Elsa."

Her gaze snapped to meet Hans', her smile never faltering despite the slight detour her attention took. "Yes?"

"I need your help." He strode over to the couch and sat down heavily next to her. While she angled her body to face him- pushing her thoughts of Anna to the back of her mind for the time being- he dragged a hand down his face, scrunching his nose in concentration. "Something the boy said in Mexico doesn't make sense. I can't tell if he was being honest or if he somehow figured out our plan and is trying to throw us off."

"Our plan?" Elsa raised a brow.

"You know, the love letters."

"Right. That plan," she replied in a flat tone.

Hans didn't seem to register the delivery of her words, instead scratching at his chin. "I asked him if he dropped the dead weight, referring of course to the girl. I figured insulting her would prompt a protective response, something that would coerce him into defending her."

"And here I thought you were trying to split them up. With a comment like that, it sounds like you're trying to _strengthen_ their relationship." Elsa drawled, cradling her head in one hand and leaning back against the arm of the couch.

"See, that's the thing." Hans furrowed his brows, staring off into the distance, eyes darting to and fro as though he were reading an invisible document in front of him. "According to my research-"

"You mean my romance novels?" Elsa raised a brow.

"Of course. They have truly proved invaluable assets," Hans replied, pressing on without glancing her way. "Anyway, my research says a normal male in a relationship would, of course, defend his girlfriend- which is what I wanted while instilling the idea that Anna might not be good enough for him."

Elsa opened her mouth to say something but stopped short as a familiar, wooden appendage gently tapped her arm. Directing her gaze over the back of the couch, she caught Olaf's concerned gaze as it flicked between her hand- her nails were dug in nearly to the point of tearing the fabric- and the walls of the room- which were slowly developing frost. With her attention off Hans' words, she could feel the force of her glare in the sudden soreness of her muscles and schooled her expression, relaxing her hand and discreetly waving away the encroaching frost.

She really needed to be more careful; Hans' obliviousness was bound to run out if she kept allowing her emotions to run amok.

"What I wasn't expecting- what I can't figure out- is why he would defend her while denying they're together. I mean, some of my research material has indicated that males will downplay the severity of a relationship depending on a multitude of causes but I never factored that as part of the plan; it doesn't seem to fit his character, if what we've seen over the past few years is any indication." Hans turned to look at Elsa, lips drawn in a thin line. "Elsa, did it really work? Was that first letter all they needed to break up?" His shoulders slumped slightly. "Was it really that easy all along? Did one of our plans _finally _work? Because honestly..." He shook his head and sighed. "It feels so... anti-climactic."

"Hans," she said softly, reaching out and putting a hand on his shoulder reassuringly. "I know you really want this to work, especially because of all the setbacks you've encountered." She tried to keep her voice encouraging despite her words. "But maybe you're looking at this the wrong way, trying to see a victory where there isn't one."

Hans tilted his head slightly, eyes unfocused as his mind raced. "Because that's exactly what he _wants_ me to think." The redhead shot up, a smile on his face as he thrust both fists in the air. "Ha! That's it! What better way to protect his girlfriend than by denying the strength of their bond!" Hans started pacing again. "Oh, that was a clever little trick; he was banking on my low opinion of him to slip this past me!" He stopped in front of Elsa and grabbed her shoulders, shaking her slightly. "Elsa, you're brilliant!"

"Glad I could be of assistance," she replied, forcing a smile as he released her to continue pacing.

"Still, there has to be some significance to his insistence they're friends." Hans scratched at the back of his neck.

Elsa chuckled. "Of course he would say they're friends, Hans. He can't exactly pretend they're strangers. They grew up together."

As he stopped and turned, looking at her with wide eyes, Elsa wondered if she should've kept that last comment to herself.

"That's _it_!" He dashed over to her, kneeling before her. "Elsa, give me a pretty girl's name."

She blinked rapidly a few times as her brain struggled to process his words. True, Hans rarely had what could be termed 'normal' requests in most any situation aside from hers but this one... well. "_What_?"

"I need to introduce the theoretical vixen who's trying to enchant the boy in my next letter." Hans shot up, searching for paper and a pencil to start scratching out the ideas racing through his head. "It's like you said, about them being friends. Their relationship goes much deeper than that of boyfriend and girlfriend because of their long history; I can't very well lure him away with a nameless idea of a woman, now can I?"

"I... suppose not." Elsa shook her head to recover her senses, focusing on his question. Her immediate thought was to reply with 'Anna'- there was only one pretty girl in her life at the moment, after all- but she refrained and instead chose the first to pop into her mind. "How about Jessica?"

"Are Jessicas pretty?" Hans ducked a light swat from Elsa as soon as the words left his mouth. "Elsa!"

"Hans, that was a really stupid question." She crossed her arms over her chest. "A person's name doesn't have any bearing on their physical appearance."

Getting to his feet, Hans started to pace but quickly came to a stop. "Wait, I've got it!"

"Really?" Elsa raised a skeptical eyebrow.

"Yes." Hans turned, dramatically opening his arms wide. "If I was a gorgeous young woman instead of a handsome young man, I would definitely be a Vivian."

"Vivian. That's the name you're going with." Elsa blinked. To her surprise, the question on the tip of her tongue remained there but was voiced by someone else instead.

"Why?" Olaf slid from his seat and walked around the couch, tilting his head in curiosity.

Hans blinked at the snowman. "Becuase, that's a pretty girl's name."

Olaf tilted his head the other way. "Why?"

"Because it has a 'v' in it."

"Hans!" Elsa got off the couch and glared at him.

"What? I _know_ I've read somewhere in one of your books that 'v's are sexy." Hans tapped a finger to his chin. "Sexy and pretty are more or less synonymous, right? And it has _two_ 'v's, which makes it double sexy. That's how that works, right?"

Elsa made a few frustrated, choked noises and turned on her heel, leaving the room without sparing either Hans or Olaf a glance. The moment she was gone, the two shared a confused look.

Hans sighed. "What did I do this time?"

Olaf shrugged. "I think Elsa has a pretty name. Maybe you should've told her that."

The redhead blinked. "Huh. I didn't think about that."

"Don't worry!" Olaf hurried back to the other side of the couch, reclaiming the computer chair. "I've been working on a surprise! I'm sure it'll cheer her up!"

Hans laughed, heading towards his lab while the ideas were still fresh in his mind. "I'm sure she'll love it, Olaf." He stopped at the threshold. "Uh, could you-"

"I'll let you know when it's safe to come out." Olaf giggled, shaking his head at Hans' request. Elsa wasn't _angry_, per se, but Olaf had a better sense of her moods than Hans ever would, especially given how very... dense he was regarding the blonde.

Besides, his surprise was _really_ good!

* * *

><p>Anna slung her backpack over one shoulder, descending the stairs two at a time as she headed out for school. Her knee was feeling <em>much<em> better after an almost disturbingly quiet weekend. The redhead chalked it up to a lucky break, which she desperately needed after the breakneck pace of the past month. The downside was how much time she had to think and get excited, annoying her friends with silly questions when she decided she might need a second opinion.

She literally couldn't _wait_ until the next Ice Queen mission. She was fired up, ready to go, totally not going to choke this time, nope. She-

"Oh, sweetheart, glad I caught you!" Anna stopped with one hand on the doorknob, waiting for her mother to emerge from the living room. When she appeared, she was holding two large manila folders, the type that were sealed with a length of string wrapped around a button. "Could you do me a favor?"

"Of course, mom!" Anna smiled, taking a step towards her mother. "What's up?"

"Could you give Officer Brooks these on your way into school?"

Anna accepted the folders, quirking a brow. "Sure, I guess. Is this why you and dad had to work late the other night?"

After an off hand comment during dinner one night, Anna learned a bit more about her parents' respective jobs, though she got the odd feeling like there was something they weren't fully explaining. Her dad said he was a lawyer and that the building he worked in, he actually owned and operated; apparently, he was the go-to legal adviser in the county. Her mom, on the other hand, was a registered nurse practitioner at the hospital and specialized in... alternative and abnormal health studies, or something like that. The way it was explained, it sounded like she was pretty much the expert on all things weird, but also had a background in sports medicine.

Her mother nodded, eyes twinkling. "She asked us for a favor, that's all dear."

Shrugging, the redhead started for the door again. "Alright, no problem!"

"Thanks. Have a great day at school and beyond, sweetheart!"

"Bye mom!" Anna left her house, the folders in one hand, and started for the school after taking a quick look around. She couldn't see Kristoff on the street, which meant he either overslept again- being a Monday, she was banking on it- or decided to head to school early. That was fine, really; they tried to walk to and from school together as often as possible but, sometimes, it just wasn't going to happen.

"Anna! Hey, wait up!"

Anna smiled, stopping and turning to watch as Kristoff and Sven came speeding up the road. While the reindeer was obviously enjoying himself, the blond looked distinctly panicked, which meant that yes, he overslept.

"Morning, Kris!" Anna laughed as he hurriedly dismounted, falling into step as they walked down the street. "Running late?"

"I swear, someone is changing my alarm clock when I'm not looking," Kristoff replied, groaning as he ran a hand across Sven's shoulder. "Thanks for the save, buddy. What's with the folders?"

"They're from my parents, for Officer Brooks." Anna shrugged. "They did her a favor, apparently."

"Huh, weird."

"People do favors for each other all the time here, Kris. We're, like, the King and Queen of doing favors."

"Point taken, but-" Kristoff held up a hand. "-it makes sense for us to work together. Your parents don't even work in the same general field."

"I dunno, I mean, dad's a lawyer, mom's a nurse. There _could_ be overlap." Anna paused, her mind running a mile a minute until it came to a single thought that stopped her dead in her tracks. "You don't think something's... wrong, do you?"

"What?" Kristoff furrowed his brows and frowned. "Something wro- oh, no, slow down; no matter what's in those things, it's none of our business, Anna."

"But what if Officer Brooks is, like..." She trailed off, looking at the folders in her hands. Anna almost jumped at the hand on her shoulder.

"You're jumping the gun." Kristoff gave her a light shove to spur her back into walking, stepping with her as they continued towards school. "Officer Brooks doesn't miss work for anything, remember? I hardly think she could keep a better attendance record than _us_ while secretly wasting away from some mystery disease."

"Kris! That's so insensitive!" Anna worried her bottom lip with her teeth. "We should ask her if she's okay."

"Anna, seriously, slow down." Kristoff steered her around the corner with one hand firmly on her shoulder. "I know you're convinced you can save the world one poor, unfortunate soul at a time, but you can't just make assumptions about someone's personal life like that."

"But-"

"No, Anna, I'm serious." He pulled his most stern expression as they neared the school's parking lot. "Not one more word about this."

The redhead sighed but nodded, walking with her head down as Kristoff bid farewell to Sven. The reindeer was a bit more reluctant than usual but eventually turned to go... wherever he went during the school day. Probably back to Kristoff's place; she honestly had no idea. Before she could really register it, the teens were at the school's entrance, pulling open the doors. Come to think of it, she wasn't sure how to find the security officer; not being much of a trouble maker, Anna had never had an ill run-in with Officer Brooks. She just saw her around the school grounds every now and again, patrolling the halls or keeping an eye out during passing period.

"Kris, does Officer Brooks have an office?"

"No; I usually just hide in unswept corners like a spider when no one's looking." Anna and Kristoff jumped at the voice, whirling to their left as the woman in question exited an unmarked door across the hall from the Principal's Office. She was wearing her usual black suit and tie, shades firmly in place, though a bit higher on her face due to the slight scowl marring her features. "Why are you looking for my office, Anderson?"

"I- uh, I'm sorry," Anna said, holding out the folders. "My parents asked me to give you these."

Officer Brooks accepted the items in question, giving them a quick glance before her expression smoothed out. "I'm a bit crabby in the morning without my coffee."

"She's not kidding." Coach Calhoun shouldered her way into the building, carrying two cups of coffee and a small brown bag in addition to her purse and athletic tote. "She nearly bit some poor butter bar's head off once while we were-"

"Hey, trips down memory lane later; _please_ give me my salvation before I thrash you in front of your students." Officer Brooks held out her hand, accepting the cup Coach Calhoun gave her with nothing more than a twitch of her lips to indicate a grateful smile. "_Thank you_."

"You're welcome," Coach Calhoun replied, turning her attention to the teens. "Now, aside from being accosted by a cranky security guard, don't you two have somewhere to be?"

"Right, Coach, we were just leaving." Kristoff tapped Anna's shoulder. "Let's go grab our books."

As he turned, Anna made to follow suit but paused, turning back to the two women. "Uh, Officer Brooks? Is everything okay? Ya know, with you?"

Kristoff smacked a hand to his forehead while Coach Calhoun and Officer Brooks exchanged curious glances.

"Now that I have my coffee, yes, everything's fine." Officer Brooks took another sip. "What brought this on, Anderson?"

Anna made a vague motion towards the folders the woman was holding. "Well, I just got worried, 'cause I... well..."

"She jumped to a conclusion she shouldn't have." Kristoff supplied, stepping beside the redhead and shooting her a severe frown. "Given her parents' line of work-"

"A lawyer and a nur- Oh!" Officer Brooks nodded, coughing out a laugh before reining in her reaction and offering the two teens a small grin. "Yes, I'm fine. I have a... member of my extended family, shall we say, who may be coming to Arendelle. I asked your parents for their expertise due to some concerns I have about her living here, that's all. Nothing to worry about."

Anna let out a sigh of relief, accepting Kristoff's 'I told you so' stare with a small smile. "Sorry, Officer Brooks. I was just worried."

The woman waved off her apology. "You're young and entitled to your curiosity." She paused, lowering her shades enough to look at the teen properly. "But, you should keep in mind that there are times to stay in your lane." She moved them back into place and straightened her tie. "Besides, this place isn't getting rid of me _that_ easily. Sorry to disappoint."

"Now that we've cleared that up, get to class, you two, before you're late," Coach Calhoun said, waiting until the teens were out of earshot before addressing her friend. "They mean well."

"Not holding it against them. They're good kids." Half of her cup was already drained, her other hand opening the outside section of Calhoun's tote to grab the thermos in preparation for the imminent refilling.

"So... you were going to 'thrash' me, huh? Way to show your age there, Chief."

"Oh, bite me, Gunny." Officer Brooks grumbled, turning around to open the door she'd exited a few minutes before, keeping it open for the other woman to follow her into the small office allocated for the school's security officer. "You're entirely too chipper this morning. Something hold you up?"

"Not what you're thinking, that's for sure." Calhoun sighed, leaning against the small desk Brooks sat behind as the other woman instantly set about opening the folders Anna had given her. "Ralph's still having trouble adjusting and Van's not making things any easier. Felix and I are doing the best we can to help out but... you know how it goes."

"Ah, domestic bliss." Brooks gave her a small smile, raising her coffee cup in a toast. "Here's to living the dream."

"And being thankful it's not a nightmare." Calhoun automatically replied, lifting her own cup before taking a drink. There was a moment of silence before her curiosity got the better of her. "Are those what I think they are?"

"Yes. Now that I have approval, the ball's in my court. Can't drag my feet on this," Brooks replied absentmindedly, pulling a half-inch pile of paper from one of the folders and thumbing through the pages with raised eyebrows. "Huh."

"So, she's not undocumented."

"Not at all. These charts are old but surprisingly thorough." Brooks started to take another sip of her coffee before catching sight of something on the top sheet of paper, dropping the stack as she choked on the hot liquid and started coughing.

"Chief?" Calhoun stood up, redirecting her gaze as Brooks pointed to something on the page before her. As the blonde leaned down to take a closer look, her eyes zeroed in on the indicated line and she drew back in surprise. "Well... that changes things."

Brooks sent her a withering look as she recovered her breathing, picking up the stack of papers once more. "I'm starting to get a clearer idea of what's going on here, Gunny, and I don't like it." She sighed, rubbing at her temple. "This just got a helluva lot harder."

"That's why you get paid the big bucks," Calhoun said with a slight smirk, setting a hand on her friend's shoulder. "On the upside, you've got most of the town on your side. We'll make this work. We always do."

Brooks pursed her lips, drumming her fingers on her desk a moment. "I'll need to put a call in to King. Update Mode... Smollet... the Mayor..." She groaned. "I hate paperwork."

Switching gears slightly, Calhoun took another sip of her coffee. "What about Colonel Weselton? Any news on that front?"

Brooks frowned but nodded, tapping the laptop on the corner of her desk. "I have a buddy over in Military Intelligence who agreed to feed the Colonel carefully timed intel to keep him as far from Arendelle as physically possible."

"Wasting government funds on a wild goose chase?" Calhoun raised a brow, chuckling slightly. "I can't believe his command is clearing this bullroar."

Brooks shook her head. "I had to do something and this is safer than letting him stew a stone's throw from our doorstep. For whatever reason, he has something of a following in the officer circles and they were beginning to listen to his ridiculous claims. I'm using their paranoia to our advantage, that's all." The bell rang out, dulled slightly by the closed office door, and Brooks averted her attention from the papers before her to throw Calhoun a curious look. "I know you don't have a class right now but did you have something else you wanted to talk about?"

Calhoun took a steadying sip of her coffee. "There is something I've been meaning to talk to you about, actually."

Brooks raised a brow, waiting for the other woman to continue. When there was no forthcoming reply, her face fell. "Gunny, I swear, if you're about to open your mouth and-"

Calhoun held her hand up in surrender, the other covertly moving the coffee cup to obscure her grin. "You know we have a school field trip coming up, right? To a museum?"

"_Damn_ it, Gunny!"

* * *

><p>Olaf waddled ahead, a wide smile on his face as he urged Elsa to follow him up to the Oven. The blonde was smiling softly, having spent the last few days pointedly avoiding Hans. She wasn't angry with him, just frustrated at his narrow-minded manner of thinking. If it wasn't for the fact she was actively trying to neither help nor hinder his attempts, she would've corrected him about his complete devotion to really annoying stereotypes a long time ago.<p>

"Come on, Elsa!" Olaf rounded the corner at the top of the stairs, all but running as she followed with smooth, long strides.

"Calm down, Olaf, I'm right behind you." She chuckled, stepping into the room and closing the door behind her while Olaf jumped into the computer chair, spinning around to face the screen. Elsa stood behind him, watching as he loaded one of his games. "So, what is it I'm supposed to be looking at, exactly?"

"I'll show you, I promise, it just needs to load." Olaf squirmed in his seat, giggling to himself as the loading screen progressed from a slowly rotating giant to a dragon, text appearing in the corner of the screen.

Not really interested in reading it, Elsa waited patiently for the game to load while allowing her mind to wander, ever so slightly. Hans was bound to come looking for her soon so she could take his letter to town which, as always, was bittersweet. It brought a smile to her face every time she sat down to write, the faint thrill of Anna actually holding the letter in her hand and reading it sparking a flutter in her chest. Then, of course, she was forced to concede that the redhead probably didn't actually read every letter mailed to her, that the letter was anonymous besides, and that there was zero chance of her actually getting a response... but at least, due to recent events, the tiny sliver of hope was growing rather than fading into smoking ash.

"Here we go!" Olaf's excited cry brought her back to the present, leaning closer to the screen to get a better look. "Okay, let me switch it to first person real quick."

As the camera changed, Elsa's brows climbed. Whatever she'd been expecting, this wasn't it; on the screen was a computerized version of herself, from her ridiculously light skin to her braid hanging down the center of her back. The computer version of herself was wearing some sort of robe in her favorite shade of blue. Once the shock died down, she had to admit it was pretty cool. A little creepy, too, but cool nonetheless.

"Did you program that yourself, Olaf?"

"Yup! Now, watch this!" He hit two keys on the keyboard and the computerized Elsa flexed both her hands as white light engulfed them. Aiming at a spot on the ground, Olaf released the spells, moving the cursor around as ice spikes cropped up, following the lazy path he drew, accompanied by the sounds of ice crystallizing.

Elsa's hands flew to her mouth as she gasped, watching the digital version of herself run around, leaving a trail of frost and ice in her wake. "That's... wow, Olaf, you did all that?"

"Not all of it. Frost spells are part of the Destruction school but I did everything else," the snowman replied, turning to look at her. "You like it?"

"Yes, Olaf, that's very sweet of you." Elsa gently patted his shoulder, surprised as he looked back to the screen.

"Yay! But wait, I haven't shown you the best part!" He opened a menu, clicking around so fast Elsa could barely follow his movements. "I have to fast travel real quick but I promise you'll love it."

The blonde smiled as the loading screen appeared once more, regarding the excited snowman. When he told her about learning to use the computer, she hadn't imagined he took things _this_ far! A slight frown tugged at her lips as she acknowledged how often she and Hans would run off on these mad quests of his, leaving her snowmen alone with nothing better to do. While Marshmallow mirrored her own proclivity for solitude, the isolation was probably harder for Olaf.

Maybe, one day, she could take him with her to meet Mumble. Olaf would certainly enjoy meeting someone new and she felt as though Mumble probably wouldn't turn against her. The boy seemed too friendly to become vicious, even if confronted with a talking snowman.

Then again, she wasn't exactly the best judge of 'normal' reactions to... just about anything. Still, it was something to think about.

"Okay, here we go!" Elsa returned her attention to the screen, watching Olaf maneuver the digital Elsa around a house. "She's usually sitting at the- yep, there she is!"

Elsa's jaw popped open.

There on the screen, sitting at a table laden with food, was a digital doppelganger of Anna- red hair, freckles, and all. Even her smile looked like Anna's, though there was a certain... artificiality to it. But for a computer rendering, it was pretty damn good, and she was even wearing the outfit from the rodeo picture Olaf printed out for her.

"Olaf..." She blinked a few times, watching as Olaf clicked through some dialogue options- though there was no voice to accompany the words on the screen- and the digital Anna got up from the table. A thousand questions flitted through her mind before she finally settled on one and voiced it. "Why?"

The snowman turned to look at her, a sad little smile on his face. "You forget sometimes that it works both ways, huh?"

Elsa blinked, taken aback slightly by her own forgetfulness.

Olaf reached out, patting her hand with his twig one. "I always know when you and Hans will be home soon. Whenever I feel you happy, I know they've shown up, and when it starts to fade, that means you're on the way home. You can't hide anything from me, Elsa."

"You'd think after all these years, I would know that by now." The blonde chuckled, wrapping her arms around the snowman. "I'm sorry, Olaf."

He giggled, hugging her back. "Oh, you don't have to apologize! Here, I have one more thing to show you."

Olaf spun back to the computer, maneuvering the digital Elsa outside with the digital Anna following close. After a short wait, the two were outside of the house, moving away from whatever settlement they were at and towards a field by a lake. Elsa waited patiently until Olaf found a good place, switching some of the options in the menu before resuming the game.

"Ready?" At Elsa's nod, Olaf hit the keys from before, except instead of throwing ice around the computer landscape, Elsa's digital doppelganger threw a ball of blue and white at the ground before her, spawning a towering replica of Marshmallow. Olaf cast a second ball, spawning a miniature version of himself within the game beside the other snowman. "There! Now we can go adventuring!"

Elsa couldn't help but laugh as the virtual quartet set out, Olaf switching to the first person view and running backwards so Elsa could see the digital copies of her snowmen running alongside Anna better. Olaf's digital model looked a bit different from the others, covering the same amount of ground at a noticeably shorter height, but aside from that, the visual was amazing. It tugged at that shard of hope in her heart that maybe, _maybe_ that could happen. Anna and Olaf would hit things off straight away and she would eventually warm up to Marshmallow. They could all hang out... maybe.

Without there being an explosion involved, anyway... but that might be too much to ask for, especially with Hans, Kristoff, and Sven in the mix. She doubted the men would ever see eye-to-eye. She had a better chance of getting along with the reindeer anyway.

"Hans is in here too," Olaf said, switching back to third person and running forward once more, his attention mostly on the screen. "But I haven't messed with the part of the code that prevents you from having more than one follower. I feel like that would make the remaining quests _way_ too easy."

"I'm certainly glad you're enjoying yourself, Olaf." She pulled him into another hug. "And thank you for the surprise."

"I'm glad you liked it!" He giggled again, clapping his hands together. "You know, if you ever want to play, I can show you how to load this save file." He glanced back at the screen. "Most of the main quests are completed, but the game's engine generates new quests. I can teach you how to play so you can go on your own adventures!"

Elsa laughed, nodding slightly."I may take you up on that, though I wouldn't want to take over your game." She motioned towards the TV. "Do you want to play another game for a while?"

"Yeah! Just let me save real quick."

"I'll set it up. Any preference?" Elsa walked around the couch, crouching in front of the gaming consoles they collectively owned. They weren't much- especially by modern standards- but Hans didn't have the time to devote to his former hobby and obtaining newer equipment would mean more trips into town. Memphis was kind enough to order the odd item for her every now and again but she didn't want to push her luck. Given who she was asking, though, she could pretty much guess his response and reached for the Super Nintendo.

"Ooh! Can we play Donkey Kong Country 2? Please?"

"Of course." The blonde chuckled to herself, the cartridge already loaded into the system. "Co-operative or competitive?"

"Co-op, silly!" Olaf slid around the couch and jumped up onto it, settling in as Elsa unravelled the controllers.

"I was just checking." She sat beside the snowman and turned on the TV, a wide smile claiming her lips as the logos began appearing on the screen. "Maybe one of these days, you'll want to change things up."

Olaf giggled, shaking his head as Elsa started up the game. Despite having beaten it several times over, the two started over, playing from the first stage onward. Time stopped being a thing that could be measured as they breezed through the first several stages. As the game became more challenging, Olaf started to squirm with his character's movements while Elsa felt her tongue poke through her lips as she concentrated. They occasionally gave quick warnings to each other or groaned as one or the other character was killed.

Elsa huffed as her character- Dixie Kong, the blonde primate- faded out after being hit, flexing each hand in turn as she waited for Olaf to bring her back into the game.

"Rough break."

The blonde jumped slightly, whipping around to see Hans watching the game over the top of the couch. "Hans. How long have you been there?"

"A couple minutes." He gave her a slight grin. "I can be sneaky when I want to be."

Elsa stared at him for a few moments, waiting for him to continue speaking. When he didn't, she prompted him. "And you came in here because...?"

"Well, I wanted to run an idea past you. I value your opinion and I want to know if this course of action is... acceptable."

"You're back in, Elsa!"

Returning her gaze to the TV, she sighed. "Go ahead."

"Right, well, I've been thinking-"

"Oh goodie."

"Hush, I'm being serious." Hans cleared his throat. "I was thinking that you're right; I was a bit... overeager to accept a victory due to the constant stymieing the kids have presented us. So, just to break the streak, I was thinking we could accomplish something a bit less... adventurous than our previous endeavors."

"Hans, please," Elsa said while keeping her attention on her character's movements. "I agreed to help you take over the world, I'll admit to that. But if you're asking me to break the law _just_ so you can say you succeeded at something, I have to draw the line."

"Elsa, I really think I need this though." He walked around the couch, careful not to enter her direct field of vision, and plead his case. "Is there _any_ way I could get your support on this?"

The blonde bit her lip, pretending to focus all her attention on the game. Unfortunately, they reached the end of the level, and Olaf politely refrained from pressing her on to the next stage.

Out of distractions, Elsa turned her attention to Hans. "What do you have planned?"

"It's _very_ simple, a quick job." Hans got down on one knee beside the couch, excitement shining plainly in his eyes. "There's a very popular piece of art being displayed next week. We run in, steal it, and run out. No dallying, no military, and no flashy entrances. We can even wear disguises."

Elsa raised a brow. "Disguises? As in, you actually own clothing besides labcoats and your 'royal' attire?" She laughed at his affronted expression and cut him off before he could reply. "Why this particular piece of art?"

"High visibility," he replied. "This way, I _know_ the kids will hear it was stolen, and all it will take is a few blasts of your ice to confirm to them it was us!"

"So, you're just in it for the victory and the recognition, that's it? No waiting around for the kids to show, no threatening bystanders, none of that?"

He shrugged. "More or less. I mean, I can't account for _every_ variable, but I imagine it should be fairly straightforward."

She nodded, rubbing at her temple with one hand. "Look, I'll go along with this _but only if_ we return it after a week."

Hans mulled it over. "I suppose that's fine."

"Good. Just let me know when you want to leave."

Getting up, Hans turned as if to leave but stopped short. "Oh, and I'm almost done with my next letter. How is yours coming?"

The blonde quickly started the next level in the game, watching the screen impassively. "Finished it last night. Just let me know when you want me to drop them off."

"Excellent!" The redhead turned, heading back to his lab, mumbling to himself about details regarding his latest ridiculous ploy.

Elsa and Olaf played the game in silence for a time, until the snowman finally broke the silence.

"Will it really be that easy?"

"Given that Hans is involved? Certainly not." The blonde sighed, trying to lose herself in the video game.

As far as Hans' schemes went, this one was relatively harmless. It also bothered her a little bit that the biggest apparent downside to it seemed to be the lack of a certain redhead. Either she had her priorities confused or what little morality she still had flown straight out the window.

At least one thing hadn't changed: she would _never_ be 'normal'.

* * *

><p>Sunday mid-morning saw Anna and Kristoff sitting on her bed, though there was a wide space between them. It wasn't that they were upset with each other or to prevent any awkward feelings; the neutral zone was a necessity whenever they played together. Mainly because-<p>

"Home run bat!"

"WHAT?"

-because of that.

Kristoff's eyes widened as his character- Solid Snake- landed just in time to be hit by the bat, sending him flying off screen. As that was his last life, the round was over. With a groan, he let his arms flail out to his sides, controller gripped tightly in his hands. Anna just watched, trying hard not to laugh at her friend's frustration.

"Fine, best five out of nine." He grumbled once he recovered from his loss, elbows on his knees as he focused intently on the screen.

"That means you would have to win five in a row and, sorry buddy, but that's not going to happen." Anna chuckled, starting the next round and letting him pick the stage. "You just can't beat me when I use Samus. She's obviously the best character in _Brawl_."

"No, no, Solid Snake is the best character and I'm going to prove it to you!" The blond grumbled as he chose the Moses Island stage, hoping the home field advantage would be of some benefit to him. "He's the ultimate soldier; that automatically makes him the best fighter."

"Oh come on! Samus is the universal bounty hunter! She's got bird DNA and a cannon for an arm!" Anna laughed as the next round started, instantly moving her character once the countdown ended. "There's no way he can compete."

"He's the master of stealth and hand-to-hand combat!"

"He hides in a box and you can never get close enough."

"Oh, I am _so_ going to use the mini-gun this time."

"Good luck with that."

They played in silence for a while, Kristoff cheering whenever he managed to knock Anna down a life and groaning when the redhead paid him back. "You're taking it easy on me."

"What? Me?" Anna laughed, charging Samus' cannon to full and waiting for the right moment. They were both on their last life and Kristoff had a higher damage percentage, which meant if she timed it right, the cannon's blast would send him flying. "Are you accusing me of lulling you into a false sense of security by purposely playing poorly?"

"Nice alliteration and yes." Kristoff kept jumping, trying to keep something between Snake and Samus. "I assume this means you finished the English homework that isn't due until, what, next Friday?"

"We have to keep ahead, Kris. Homecoming's in a few weeks, plus I've got softball and the football games and the rodeo-"

"Right, right, I know. Still, that's way ahead." Kristoff broke out in a wide smile as he smashed the super power-up. "MINIGUN!"

"Oh, shoot." Anna started jumping around, both in the game and on the bed, wincing as her damage counter started to tick into the red percentage.

"That's right! Shoot shoot shoot!" The blond laughed. "Come on, come on! Dang it!" His power-up ended, returning Snake to the main area of the stage. But one good hit should do it. Dropping down until he was even with Anna's character, he charged over, ready to deliver the fatal blow and win the round.

Then he noticed the blinking light on Samus' arm.

"Oh no!"

"Oh yes!" Anna beamed, releasing the fully charged cannon blast, affecting a very poor Cuban accent. "Say hello to mah lil friend!"

"DANG IT!" Kristoff groaned as the blast sent Snake flying off screen, the game's announcer proclaiming Samus the winner. After his mini-tantrum, Anna raised a brow.

"So... best six out of eleven?"

He huffed and grumbled a bit under his breath. "Yes."

Just as Anna was about to start the next round, her communication device started going off, and the redhead practically teleported to her dresser to answer it while Kristoff grinned, slightly grateful for the break. While his pride wouldn't let him quit without getting at least _one_ win, it didn't look like he was going to manage that today. They were having way too much downtime if Anna was able to get so far ahead in her school work _and_ brush up on her brawl skills.

"Hey, Mr. Oaken!"

"Yoo hoo!" The burly man smiled. "Ve have new mission, ya."

"Is Ice Queen involved?" Anna's eyes widened slightly. "Or, uh, The Prince. Either one of them?"

Mr. Oaken smiled wider though he shook his head. "Sorry, Anna, but I don't think so. Request come from Milo."

"Milo? As in Milo Thatch?" Recovering from her disappointment, the redhead raised her brows in surprise. Ever since he graduated a few years ago, she hadn't heard much about the former science whiz.

"One and only." Mr. Oaken laughed. "He ask for help in Brazil, protect local tribe. I have ride arranged."

"Awesome. Can you have them meet us at Kris' house?"

"Is no problem."

"Well, here we go, off to some far away land to rescue people." Kristoff shut off the console and TV while Anna grabbed her mission bag and ducked into the bathroom adjoining her room. "Great way to spend a Sunday."

* * *

><p>Bartlett took a deep drag on her cigarette, leaning against a fence as she smoked outside the Mayor's house in some German town she couldn't pronounce. Generally speaking, she hated plain clothes details; undercover was never one of her strong points. Not that she couldn't blend in, especially given how many people had tried speaking to her already- to which she merely responded in what limited German she'd managed to memorize on the flight over- but she had a distinct dislike for presenting herself in a way that wasn't entirely honest. No one passing by could tell she was an American soldier in her faded jeans and light winter jacket, pulling perimeter security for the Colonel within.<p>

She scanned the her surroundings with a critical eye while firmly ignoring the little voice in the back of her head. They were in the middle of the picturesque German countryside and, aside from an abundance of construction equipment to repair the damages caused by the flood, there wasn't anything worthy of rousing her suspicions. Everyone was friendly as they passed and didn't bother giving her much more than a polite greeting before moving on with their lives.

Easily one of the most lax protective detail missions she'd ever been assigned, even if it was also the most aggravating.

"I thought you quit." Bartlett turned to see Hughes stepping out of the Mayor's house with one of the Germans in tow, pulling the door shut behind them. Unlike Bartlett, Hughes went with a slightly less practical light brown dress with matching boots and a brown leather jacket.

At least, the outfit wouldn't have been practical for Bartlett. Hughes was from Montana and always felt more comfortable in boots than sneakers and the two agreed they'd appear less conspicuous if one of them was wearing a dress.

"Then we got bopped by the Good Idea Fairy." She shook her head. "Speaking of-"

Hughes waved off the coming comment. "He's getting chewed out by the Mayor; I trust his cowardice to keep him from getting into too much trouble."

"Yay officers." Bartlett rolled her eyes, offering the German her lighter as he started patting his pockets, a cigarette hanging from his lips.

"Danke schön."

"Bitte schön."

The German smiled, lighting up his own smoke, returning the device to Bartlett, and taking a drag before shaking his head. "Your Colonel is... a bit crazy, ja?"

"He's a chihuahua with a chew toy; good luck getting it away from him." Bartlett rolled her eyes again, receiving a shove from Hughes.

"Watch it. We're already on thin ice with the Battalion Commander." Hughes frowned, reaching up to adjust her bun. "And I know you're still in 'no fucks given' mode, but we've made it this far without getting busted down and I'd like to finish strong, ya know?"

"The BC can bite me; she put us on this damn detail. I don't know why she's playing along with this stupid conspiracy theory." Bartlett threw her finished cigarette to the ground and pulled out another one. "I mean, yeah, I'd like to finish with a clean record too, but come on. It'd be cool to go out breaking an officer's nose."

"Certainly a big enough target." Hughes snorted.

"You two are not... fond of him." The German laughed at the matching looks adorning the Americans' faces. "He's been talking since he got here, but I can't understand what he's trying to ask." He frowned severely. "Only what he's implying."

"That's because he suffers from yapping dog syndrome." Bartlett muttered, lighting up her second cigarette while Hughes pulled a serious face.

"Not too long ago, one of our facilities was attacked by an individual with supernatural powers over ice and snow. Colonel Weselton believes that this individual is part of a larger group of eco-terrorists who have command over the natural elements and that the flood here was caused by such an individual." Hughes nodded back towards the house. "The Colonel is gathering intelligence to determine if these eco-terrorists warrant a full task force."

The German nearly dropped his cigarette. "And you two? You believe this?"

"Oh _fuck_ no!" Bartlett coughed, pounding on her chest a few times as Hughes sympathetically rubbed her shoulder.

"Can't chain smoke like you used to, huh?"

"These things'll be the death of me." Bartlett spat on the ground. "Dude, what's your name?"

"Max."

"Alright, Max, I'm Bartlett, nice to meet you, anyway, I'm gonna make this _real_ simple for you." Bartlett took a long drag, let it out, then shook her hand at Max, prompting a snort from Hughes.

"You're really gonna knife hand the guy?"

"Shut up; it's for dramatic importance." Bartlett shot a minute glare at her companion before focusing on Max again. "Do I believe there is a chick out there with ice powers? Oh hell yes, chick froze me, I know she's out there, no question. Do I believe there are other people out there with crazy powers? Shit, sure, I guess I'll buy that. Do I believe they're part of some sort of eco-terrorist group bent on bringing the world to its knees? No, because that drives past Stupid City, takes a right on Paranoid Street, comes to a brief stop somewhere in The-End-Is-Nigh-ville to pick up some baggage, and then continues on to Unrealistic Town for its final stop." She spread her arms wide. "If there's some global conspiracy where super powered guys and gals are running around, and we're only figuring it out _now_, I think they're doing a pretty bang up job at keeping quiet!" Her arms dropped and she took another drag from her cig. "This is a fuckin' witch hunt, pure and simple."

"Little literal on that last part. I didn't tell you why the Mayor is chewing him out, did I?" Hughes chuckled as Max grumbled something in German, prompting a raised brow from the other American.

"Oh, this should be good." Bartlett waved her hand in a few circles. "Well, come on, don't leave me hangin'."

Hughes waited for Max to calm down a bit before continuing. "He asked if it was possible that the flood started _after_ the kids showed up."

"Oh for the love of all things near and dear to my heart, you are fuckin' shitting me right now, son of a bitch!" Bartlett knelt down to the ground. "Jesus, Buddha, Vishnu- someone, deliver me from this bullshit, I beg of you, whoever's listening, I promise I'll drink my milk-"

Hughes laughed, shaking her head at Max's confused expression. "Don't mind her; she's just being dramatic."

"But she's right!" Max scowled, crushing his cigarette under his shoe. "I was here; I met them! How can he suggest this thing? They risked their lives to save my family!" He drew himself to his full height, glaring at the house. "It's insulting!"

Hughes' brows raised, a small grin coming to her lips. "I thought I recognized your name. You're the soldier who jumped in with the kids, aren't you?"

"Ja," Max said, nodding emphatically. "_Feldwebel_ Max Schnell. I was invited because we _thought_ they were coming back. I was not very, how you say... articulate when they were here. I wanted to thank them properly; you understand."

"Yeah, we get it." Bartlett chuckled, getting to her feet. "Did the same thing myself, honestly."

"We'll be sure to pass along the message." Hughes sighed, shaking her head slowly at Bartlett's incredulous look. "He wants to go back."

"And I want a million dollars; too fucking bad, shit happens! We can't go back there and mess with those kids." Bartlett waited a beat. "But if we do, I call fighting off the Sheriff and the RO."

"Oh, what, and leave me with the damn Deputy? You're _too_ kind."

"Hey, I'm taking on two of 'em; I think that's a fair trade."

Hughes scratched at the back of her neck. "I dunno; I really wouldn't want to mess with the RO. She gave me a weird vibe."

"RO?" Max raised a brow, receiving shrugs in response.

"Sorry, it's an acronym. We're military; it's hardwired into us to use them." Bartlett offered.

"Our schools sometimes have police officers who act in... I dunno, some sort of physical security capacity. They're called School Resource Officers, but we just call them RO's for short." Hughes explained with a small smile. "But the one we're talking about wears a suit as opposed to the standard uniform."

"A nice suit."

"Which goes into my 'weird vibe' comment. Who wears a suit _like that_ on duty?"

"Says the woman wearing a dress on a protection detail."

"Just because I love these boots doesn't mean I won't break my heel off in your temple, Bartlett." Hughes warned, crossing her arms over her chest. "Try me."

Bartlett just grinned, completely unfazed by the death threat. "Look, I think the suit looks professional as fuck."

"And that's why you're going to crash and burn in the civilian world." Hughes sighed. "The word 'fuck' is not as widely acceptable as you tend to use it."

"'Fuck' is the perfect fucking word; it's a noun, a verb, an adverb, _and_ an adjective!" Bartlett took her last drag and blew the smoke out, looking up contemplatively. "I just need to find a good way to use it as a conjunction and it could conceivably replace every other word in the English language."

"As if English isn't confusing enough," Max said, laughing with the Americans as they agreed.

"See, this is proof." Bartlett tapped Hughes shoulder. "Don't matter the country; soldiers just _get_ soldiers."

"I'll drink to that!" Max laughed, relishing the twin looks of exasperation on the women's faces. "I still think that's funny."

"Obviously." Hughes drawled, turning her head at the explosion of sound that accompanied the opening of the door. Colonel Weselton ducked out shortly after, red in the face and muttering to himself as he stormed out of the house. Hughes instantly straightened while Bartlett scooped up her cigarette butts and stuffed them in her pocket. Max stepped away from the duo, seeking to avoid the man's notice.

"Come on you two; we're leaving." Colonel Weselton- of course, wearing his dress uniform yet again- barked out, pushing past them and towards the borrowed Mercedes Benz van parked just down the street. Bartlett turned, pulling the key fob from her pocket while Hughes waved farewell to Max.

"What? Why? We were getting so close." Bartlett drawled, sliding into the driver's seat as the Colonel got into the back.

"They're in on whatever's going on, I just know it," the Colonel replied, Bartlett's tone completely lost on him as he huddled into himself, muttering vague complaints that went largely ignored by the other two soldiers.

From the passenger's seat, Hughes shot her counterpart a look that clearly encouraged her to remain silent and took over the conversation while the other drove.

"Sir, are we heading back to Ramstein?"

"Yes. We'll need to stop over at Carson to restock our supplies, obviously, but don't get comfortable!" The Colonel pulled his phone from his pocket. "I've just received word that there was a sighting of all these miscreants in Mexico City a week ago."

Bartlett bit her lip, her grip on the steering wheel turning her knuckles white.

"Sir, I don't think that would yield any results," Hughes said cautiously. "If Anna and Kristoff showed up, we're likely to meet the same resistance we encountered here and in Washington."

"This one's different." Weselton leaned forward, pouring over his phone. "According to the report, the kids didn't show up until after most of the damage was done; we should be able to receive excellent intelligence on the witch and her accomplice."

The two soldiers sitting in the front of the vehicle rolled their eyes simultaneously, Bartlett going so far as to mutter under her breath: "A veces, quiero matarlo."

"What was that, Specialist Bartlett?"

As the woman opened her mouth to reply, she caught the severe look on Hughes' face and chose her words carefully. "I was practicing my Spanish, Sir, just in case you need a 'terp."

"I wasn't aware you were fluent in another language." The Colonel's mustache twitched nervously. "You look distinctly... well, not Mexican."

Bartlett's death grip on the wheel tightened even more as she fought to retain her composure. "I'm from California, Sir; I took Spanish as an elective in high school and college because it seemed prudent."

Colonel Weselton nodded, sitting back in his seat. "That's rather... fortuitous. We wouldn't want too many people knowing our true purpose; we must keep this investigation tight and I believe speaking in the native language may encourage them to be more... compliant. Keep practicing."

"Pinche guey."

"Yes, that. Keep doing that." Weselton thought a moment. "You know, I'm glad you two have fixed your attitudes; I'll consider dropping the Article Fifteens pending against you both if you keep applying yourselves in such a helpful manner."

"Su madre era un hámster."

"Yes, good. I have a good feeling about our next destination."

"Y su padre olía de bayas."

Hughes discreetly planted her face in both hands and groaned quietly to herself. She wasn't sure which was more exasperating: keeping Bartlett in check and her continued efforts to rebel or the Colonel's complete lack of sense, common or otherwise.

* * *

><p>Anna hopped down the stairs wheeled up next to the plane, waving at the pilots in the cockpit, while Kristoff shakily took the steps one at a time, Sven following close behind. "Kristoff, come on!<p>

"That thing is _way_ too fast!" He shuddered, sinking to the ground as soon as he could, mumbling praises under his breath.

Sven and Anna shared a look of amusement before the redhead turned at the sound of her name.

"Anna! Oh, thank goodness you guys were able to come!" A young man ran up to them, a woman following closely behind.

"Milo! It's good to see you again!" She hugged the young man, taking in his appearance quickly. He hadn't changed much since leaving Arendelle- reddish orange hair falling into his eyes, glasses slightly askew, thin as a rod, and dressed in overly formal clothing. She couldn't imagine a long sleeved shirt, bow tie, and suspenders were comfortable given how warm it was, regardless if the sleeves were rolled up.

"You have no idea now great it is to see you three," Milo replied, releasing Anna to help Kristoff up and pull him into a hug. "We could really use your help."

"So we hear." Anna looked at the young woman, noticing the light blue markings painted on her tanned skin and pure white hair. Instantly, the color reminded her of _Elsa_'s signature shade, but she brushed the thought away quickly and offered her hand. "I-I'm sorry, I don't think we've, uh, met. My name's Anna."

"Kidagakash Nedakh." The woman shook her hand as Anna tried to replicate her pronunciation. "You can call me Kida."

"Trust me, it's easier," Milo said with a laugh, scratching between Sven's horns. "She's a friend of mine I met while I was traveling."

"You left home to travel the world, huh?" Kristoff shook off the last of his nerves regarding the flight over, following Milo and Kida as they walked towards a beaten up jeep parked on the tarmac. The airstrip they'd landed on was a stand alone complex, mainly used for ferrying supplies to a nearby village.

"This is actually part of my study abroad, actually." Milo hopped into the driver's seat and started it up. "I'm majoring in linguistics, so I'm traveling to locations all over the world, studying dialects and mapping their evolution over time."

"Uh." Kristoff and Anna exchanged a look as they jumped into the back of the jeep. "That's cool?"

"It's a truly fascinating line of work." Milo pushed his glasses up his nose, throwing the jeep into drive as Kida buckled into the passenger seat. Sven ran along behind them at a leisurely pace but far back enough he wasn't constantly getting hit by dirt and rocks. "But, we can catch up later. Right now, we've got problems in the Amazon."

"Right. So, what's going on?" Anna leaned closer to hear him over the rumble of the jeep down the dirt road.

"We're heading to talk to the Kayapo tribe that lives in this area." Milo focused on the road while he spoke. "When I got here, they told me about men building something deep in the rainforest. Due to some recent, uh..." He glanced at Kida. "We'll just say they've had some disagreements with the local authorities."

"So, they're not exactly up to helping the Kayapo out, huh?" Kristoff grimaced.

Kida turned to look at them both. "Regardless, these people are posing a threat to the Kayapo way of life."

"Not to mention this area is protected by law." Milo added.

"Great, so we've got a bunch of people trying to build something in a remote location." Kristoff nodded in contemplation. "Probably a secret evil base."

"We shouldn't jump to conclusions." Anna shrugged. "Maybe it's just an honest mix up."

"The Kayapo chief can probably tell you more. Kida and I can act as your translators."

"Oh, so you're a linguistic student, too?" Kristoff raised a brow.

Kida glanced at Milo and shrugged. "Something like that."

* * *

><p>Hans took a deep breath and released it, glancing down at Olaf. "Are you sure she's not still mad at me?"<p>

The snowman nodded emphatically with a wide smile.

With another deep breath, Hans raised his fist and knocked on the blonde's bedroom door, waiting for her to open it.

She did so while scrubbing at her eyes, apparently roused from a mid-afternoon nap. "Hans?" Elsa blinked a few times, then held out her hand. "The letter, I take it?"

"Part of it." He handed his completed letter, sealed in the envelope, over to his friend. "The other part is at your leisure, just when you get a chance."

Her interest piqued, the blonde leaned against her door and tilted her head slightly for him to continue.

"I've been looking over the plans for wooing the kids and I think we should consider starting the next phase soon- at some point in the next few months, at any rate."

Elsa closed her eyes and rubbed at one of her temples. "Are we still writing the letters?"

"Yes. The next phase is to, ah, coincide with our letters, hopefully." He glanced at Olaf, making sure he hadn't said anything wrong yet. It was weird, feeling like he was walking on eggshells with his only _human _friend, but he was certain this was temporary. The past month had really pushed the blonde's comfort zone and she was probably just stressed out from that. Hans was trying his hardest to be more mindful about her feelings. "Since you're pretty much... okay, so you _are_ in charge of the finances, I figured I should talk to you about it."

"Finances?" The blonde furrowed her brows in confusion. "Just what are you planning on doing, Hans?"

"Well, since we know where they go to school, I figured having candy delivered to them during class would really drive home how their mysterious admirers are pursuing them." Hans smiled, crossing his arms over his chest. "It's also the perfect way to spark jealousy between them, seeing as they might be able to hide receiving the letters but _everyone_ will talk about how they are getting candy in class."

"Everyone?"

Hans nodded. "It's like a cardinal rule in high school to talk about every little thing that happens." He paused a moment. "I forget sometimes you never went to high school. Trust me, it's miserable."

"Noted."

"Anyway, I think it would be easier to coordinate using a local courier rather than a service from town." He blinked. "Do they even have something like that in town?"

"I sincerely doubt it." Elsa sighed but nodded. "I'll look into it. But later. We have time, right?"

Hans nodded, smiling. "Just let me know when you get around to it, so I can add it into my letter."

Elsa paused, then rolled her eyes and held up the letter he'd handed her. "I'm pretty sure I can add a personalized note to a delivery. Did you actually name yourself Vivian?"

"Yes."

"Got it. I'll let you know." Directing her gaze to the snowman, Elsa opened the door a little wider. Olaf scampered into the room and Hans said his goodbye, heading back to his lab.

That went better than he expected but he still had a lot to do. Aside from planning his coveted victory, he still had much bigger fish to fry, as the saying went. The world _would_ be his.

* * *

><p>Despite being there under less than ideal circumstances, the Amazon rainforest was absolutely <em>breathtaking<em>! The plants were so vibrant in their colors and the animals too, though the redhead was wise enough not to try touching any of them. Still, getting to see some of the most endangered and dangerous species in the world was incredible, regardless of the sweat beginning to form along her skin.

"Ya know, here's a question: why can't we ever get called to, I don't know, a beach or something? Like, it _always_ has to be a place where, if _people_ aren't trying to kill us, Mother Nature is definitely considering it." Kristoff grumbled, more to himself than anything. After spending the better part of two hours following fox trails through the underbrush- while avoiding anything that might look pretty to touch- he was quite ready for this mission to be over with. It wasn't so much that he hated the heat; he was just naturally a cooler person. "Hey, how about, like, a beauty pageant? Can our next mission be to a beauty pageant? Because I would be okay with that."

Anna laughed, using a borrowed machete to hack into a tree as they passed, marking the way. They were trying to disrupt the local ecosystem as little as possible but, given they'd grown up nowhere near a rainforest- or even a _dense_ forest, for that matter- navigation was proving a bit tricky without the sun overhead to act as their compass. "Kris, why do you always have to be a sourpuss about this? We're in Brazil, in the Amazon rainforest! Can't you enjoy the experience?"

"I can enjoy it just fine from my couch on the Discovery channel," the blond replied, glancing over his shoulder. "And I'm not the only one! Sven's not exactly loving this weather either!"

His statement was accurate enough. Officer Brooks had allowed them to keep the water cans for future missions, explaining that they were more souvenirs than things she actually used on a day-to-day basis, but nothing could adequately prepare a reindeer for the harsh humidity and heat of the rainforest.

The redhead was about to fire back a retort when a low, dull roaring sound caught her attention, prompting all three to freeze in their tracks. Although it sounded pretty far away, it definitely held a mechanical undertone to it, the dull whine of an engine unmistakable even from far away. Breaking away from the trail, Anna, Kristoff, and Sven carefully scrambled up a slight hill, expecting to run a much longer distance in order to get even a glimpse of the construction site.

They were mistaken.

Once the trio reached the top, they had to duck down at the last minute as they realized the treeline they'd just broken through was the edge of a large, man-made clearing. A concrete wall, about fifty meters away from them, stretched around the... well, compound, encircling what had to be miles of former rainforest. In the center was a domed building, apparently finished, and ringed by several other buildings in varying stages of completion. All in all, what they were looking at had to be the size- at least- of Arendelle, to include the farm lands surrounding the town proper, with various construction vehicles dotting the spaces between the buildings. On the very far side of the compound, a crane was moving a bundle of steel beams towards one of the unfinished buildings, which accounted for the noise they'd heard.

Kristoff could feel his heart hammering in his chest. He could see, easily, a _hundred_ people in matching uniforms walking around and carrying things, though the vast majority seemed to be on some sort of coffee break.

Anna, meanwhile, was tracing the wall's path, looking for the nearest entrance. Unfortunately, there only seemed to be one, at least three hundred meters from where they were.

"Looks like that's our way in," she said, pointing towards the break in the wall.

"Anna, you can't be serious." The blond waved a hand towards the compound. "Look at that! Do you see how many guys are down there?"

"It's not like we're going to walk in swinging, Kris." Anna chuckled, starting to pick her way down the incline. "We'll just ask to talk to the person in charge and explain the situation. I'm sure this is all just some misunderstanding."

Kristoff groaned and rolled his eyes, hurrying after the redhead. "I _sincerely_ doubt that. They're wearing uniforms, Anna. Uniforms! That's, like, hint number one that this is definitely not going to be easy."

The redhead waved him off. "It'll be fine! What's the worst that can happen?"

"Why did you just say that?" He turned to look at Sven. "Why did she just say that?"

"Stop panicking and come on!" With a smile on her face, Anna started towards the entrance, already rehearsing what she would say in her head. However, as the realization of actually having to say it dawned on her, she slowed her pace, allowing Kristoff to catch up. "Uh, would you mind-"

"Got it, I'm the one doing the talking, what's new." Kristoff puffed out a breath, trying to get a handle on the mounting suspicion that this was _not_ going to end well. "Just walk up, ask to speak to the head honcho or whatever, and kindly ask them to move their evil base somewhere else."

"We don't know if it's an evil base, Kris."

"_Everything_ about this place screams 'secret evil base', Anna. I mean, seriously, they're wearing matching uniforms!"

"Yeah, and you said Ice Queen was evil, and she's totally not, so I don't trust your evil-dar." At the blond's confused look, she explained. "Ya know, it's like gay-dar, but for evil."

"Sometimes, I worry about you." He lightly shoved her shoulder but grinned. At the very least, he could take comfort in her perpetual optimism.

As they drew closer to the entrance, they could make out two men standing guard outside of the entrance, both wearing grey coveralls, boots, and helmets with wide black visors. As well as body armor and guns, which Kristoff was quick to point out as they drew closer. Apparently hearing the comment, one of the men turned, nudging his counterpart so both were watching the teens and reindeer as they approached.

Summoning his courage- because those sure looked like semi-automatics if the magazine size was any indication- Kristoff started off in his most non-threatening tone. "Hi, we were wondering if we could talk to the, uh, person in charge of all this construction."

"Who are you kids supposed to be?" One of the guards asked, his voice stern and slightly intimidating. At least they weren't aiming the weapons at them... yet.

"Right; I'm Kristoff, this is Anna, and that's Sven. We were asked to-"

"Beat it, kids." The other guard jerked his head. "This ain't no place for you."

"Look, we're just trying to-"

"We said scram." The first guard tightened his grip on his rifle. "What part of that don't you understand?"

Kristoff took a deep breath, noting the fierce look Anna was giving both men. "This area is protected by national law and you can't build here. Either you let us talk to your boss or we come back with an army."

The men exchanged a look and shrugged. The second one spoke. "Or you don't leave here alive."

Kristoff's eyes widen in shock as both men started raising their weapons. Luckily, Anna was much quicker, closing the distance and sending her fists into their sides with force. The spasms the strike induced in both men had them flinching away, allowing the redhead to sweep the feet from under one and sending a strong cross into the other's jaw. The punch was enough to cause him to loosen his hold on his weapon, which Kristoff promptly kicked away before pile-driving into his gut. Between the hit his jaw took and the sudden oxygen deprivation, the man lost consciousness, while Anna wrenched the other man's weapon away from him and kicked him in the back of the head. With both men on the ground and unconscious, Anna and Kristoff threw the weapons as far as they could into the surrounding brush.

"Geez, that was intense." Kristoff took a deep, calming breath and released it, turning in time to see Anna marching purposefully into the compound. "Hey, whoa, where are you going?"

"To talk to their boss!" She snapped over her shoulder, fuming in anger. "What kind of people try to kill someone for asking a simple question?"

"_Evil people_."

The redhead stopped in her tracks as more of the uniformed men suddenly noticed her, surprise registering on their faces before shouts of alarm went up. "Oh. Right. Fine, you're one for two."

Kristoff dropped into a defensive stance as Anna ran back towards the entrance, hoping to bottleneck the growing throng of opponents heading their way. The wall's entrance was large enough for a truck to drive through, so it wasn't much of a funnel, but it at least was too tall to be scaled easily which eliminated the need to constantly watch overhead, something fighting among the unfinished buildings would not allow them to do.

Drawing up beside her friend, Anna turned in time to take a quick guess at how many men were responding to the calls; at least three dozen were running towards them but four were considerably closer than their comrades. If they didn't start knocking heads, they would be vastly outnumbered too quickly to do much of anything about it.

Just as Anna and Kristoff were preparing to move forward, Sven charged between them, head down to allow his antlers to lead the way.

"Sven, wait!" The blond immediately started running after his friend, not wanting to leave him to fend off the bad guys alone. Anna was two steps behind him, abandoning their previous plan and trying to come up with something on the run even as the reindeer barreled through the first wave. The men jumped clear of the charging reindeer but their distraction cost them; as Kristoff and Anna passed, both teens delivered powerful blows to their heads and stomachs, effectively encouraging them to stay on the ground, before hurrying after Sven.

All too soon they were in the thick of the uniformed men, all of whom had done the same thing and moved out of Sven's way but kept their distance as Anna and Kristoff approached. Sven's charge stopped and he whirled around, ready to bear down on the first person to come too close. When the reindeer stopped, Kristoff slowed his own pace, realizing they'd put themselves in a pretty bad position as the uniformed men started edging closer, isolating the teens from their four-legged friend.

As a ring formed around them, Anna and Kristoff stood back-to-back, arms up and ready to swing at the first person to enter their range. Sven, meanwhile, had his own circle of enemies, the men eyeing his horns warily as he snorted at them.

"Well." Kristoff scanned the men in front of him. "I think this qualifies as 'worst' for us, Anna."

The redhead flitted her gaze over her half of the circle and grinned. "You know what Coach says: there's always room for improvement."

"Of course there is." Kristoff mumbled, priming himself for motion once the redhead gave the signal. "You ready, Feisty Pants?"

"I was _born_ ready!"

Suddenly, the two teens were blurs of motion to their opponents, clearly taken off guard by the offensive. Both played to their strengths, Kristoff relying on his farm boy strength while Anna used her agility.

The blond closed the distance between himself and his least attentive opponent, delivering a cheap jab to the man's gut to distract him. As he hunched over in surprise, Kristoff grabbed hold of his uniform with one hand and pulled, using his other to grab the man's leg. From there, all Kristoff had to do was bend into a squat and explode upward, effectively tossing the man into a group of his fellows as they tried to come to his aid. Really, it was no different than slinging an over-sized hay bale into the bed of his father's truck, but it was enough to give the rest of the men pause as they tried to tackle him. The uncertainty in their movements worked to his advantage; while they were concerned with restraining and capturing him, Kristoff's only concern was keeping them stumbling around. They were doing more damage to each other by focusing solely on him, mistiming their punches and kicks or tripping over each other as those felled groaned on the ground.

Similarly, Anna was letting her opponents indirectly fight each other. Lacking the physical strength to toss anyone around, Anna relied on using her opponents' weight and strength against them, primarily by getting close enough to provoke an attack and slipping away before it could connect. The moment she'd given the signal, she sprinted at the furthest man from her. He tried to meet her halfway, one arm drawn back to deliver what would likely be a vicious punch, but she dropped into a slide and raised her leg, allowing what remained of her momentum and his own to force the air from his lungs. Her other leg dug into the ground, propelling her into a backwards roll as the man dropped to his knees. Hearing the dull tromping of boots behind her, Anna waited until the last moment to jump over the struggling man, allowing her pursuers to run into him instead.

Compared to the teens, Sven had a much easier time. After the first man got close enough, the reindeer managed to twist his head and pick the man up in his antlers. Another good twist sent him hurling through the air, landing on two of his fellows to cushion his fall. Rearing up on his hind legs, Sven brayed loudly and lashed out with his hooves. When he set them on the ground once more, not one of the uniformed men made a move to approach him, though they did a good job of keeping their arms up and pretending like they were corralling the large animal, thus preventing Sven from reaching his friends.

Truth be told, the reindeer was more concerned for the men trying to fight the teens than the other way around.

As Kristoff swung around and landed his fist on yet another man's jaw, his full strength and weight put into the punch, he took a few steps back to breathe and observe the damage he'd done. More men were running towards them from the farther reaches of the compound but very few were daring to entire the circle created by moaning and groaning bodies. Since he'd kept his attacks as close to the original boundary of the circle as possible, the center was free of tripping hazards, meaning his opponents would need to put themselves at a disadvantage before they could even get to him. A few were trying to drag their co-workers away from the scene but the vast majority were waiting for some signal or opening.

Not that he was going to give them one.

Rushing towards his opponents once more, Kristoff appeared to target one of the men pulling the injured away from the fray, prompting yet another to try and tackle him from the side. Anticipating this, Kristoff stopped on a dime and set his feet in a stable position, balling one hand into a fist and covering it with his other hand. This turned his arms into, essentially, a battering ram with his elbow as the driving point, which he promptly shoved into the man's gut as he haphazardly jumped over one of his groaning comrades on the ground. Striking him just below the rib cage, the man dropped to the ground and wheezed, desperately trying to breathe while Kristoff focused on his next target.

Anna could barely keep the grin from her face as she slid behind a man whom she'd punched square in the nose, not hard enough to break it but enough to disorient him for the moment. This was not her _ideal _way of handling situations like this but, as she'd found many times during her missions, sometimes brute force was necessary to communicate a point. Her enjoyment came more from the physical exertion itself than from the actions she took.

As yet another fool charged towards her, Anna nudged the man behind her with her elbow, eliciting a growl of frustration from him. He instantly turned, ready to give her a wicked haymaker, which certainly would've knocked her out had it connected with her jaw. Seeing as she'd already ducked low, the punch actually landed on her would-be attacker, sending the man sprawling while the one who'd delivered the punch stared in shock a moment. Anna took the opportunity to rocket up, giving him an uppercut of her own that sent him stumbling to the ground. She didn't have a chance to reevaluate the situation, though, as two men came at her from opposite sides. The redhead watched their body language and moved in time, ducking one's punch while lifting her leg to dodge the other's sweeping kick, and lashing out at both of them with a punch and kick of her own once their attacks cleared.

Taking a few steps back, Anna panted heavily and wiped at her brow, nearly starting at the presence behind her before recognizing Kristoff's huff of frustration. Sure, they'd heavily discouraged about twenty men from joining the fight again, but there was an ever growing mass of uniformed men surrounding them.

"So... is this an improvement to you?" Kristoff took a few deep breaths, squinting against the sweat rolling into his eyes.

Anna chuckled. "Hey, at least we're getting our exercise in, right?"

Shaking his head, the blond looked out across the heads of their opponents to see Sven's antlers, which finished launching another man through the air to bowl over a few at the fringes of the ever growing circle. "This is ridiculous."

"We're fine, Kris." She turned her head slightly, speaking over her shoulder. "Just think of this as practice for senior prom. All the girls in school will ask you to dance. This is just, ya know, endurance training."

He rolled his eyes, fighting the grin that threatened to erupt on his lips. Was there _anything_ that gave Anna even the slightest pause? "I'll keep that in mind. Ready for round two?"

Anna faced forward again, scanning the men on her side of the circle. "Yeah. Let's boogie."

Kristoff ignored the urge to facepalm- and tell Anna to lay off those corny action movies- and instead shifted his weight to the balls of his feet, ready to charge forward the moment he felt Anna do the same. The redhead, meanwhile, was zeroing in on her next target and running through how to best incapacitate him. Then, she moved, as did Kristoff, but they were brought to a startled halt as a voice called out above the din.

"Whoa, whoa, whoa! Let's simmer down now!" The teens directed their gazes up as a shadow crossed over them, not allowing their stances to drop quite yet.

There, hovering above them, was a man in... what appeared to be a black and white super hero costume, complete with a black mask around his eyes. He was wearing a wide grin, staring down at them with his arms crossed over his chest and red-orange hair sticking straight up like a candle's flame.

"Now, who do we have here, huh?" He slowly lowered to the ground, the cape at his back billowing slightly. "I mean, I'm all for letting this _impressive_ display continue, but I just _gotta_ know who I'm dealing with here!"

Exchanging a brief glance, the teens stayed primed to move at a moment's notice, not entirely certain what was going on or what to expect from the newcomer. "My name's Kristoff, this is Anna, and that over there is Sven."

"Sven?" The man's gaze drifted over until he caught sight of the quadruped, eyebrows raising in surprise. "Well, look at that! A reindeer in the Amazon! You kids sure aren't from around here."

"No, we're not," Kristoff said, shifting his weight slightly as the man hovered just a few inches from the ground. "Are you the person in charge around here?"

"That would indeed be me." The man inclined his head slightly. "Syndrome! At your service."

The teens exchanged a slightly confused glance. Anna shrugged. "Right... Well, we were asked to come here because you're constructing this... whatever this place is on land that is reserved for preserving the rainforest and the Kayapo tribe. It's disrupting their way of life."

"Oh, we're inconveniencing someone. I see." The man unfolded his arms, hitting a button on one of the white bands engulfing his wrists. With the whir of a powering down electronic device, he lightly landed on the ground, revealing the large, stylized 'S' on his chest.

"Are you some kind of super hero or something?" Anna couldn't help but voice the question, given the man's state of dress.

For a brief moment, a darkness flashed across his face, lips drawing down into a frown before he laughed and shook his head. "Or something. Super heroes aren't real, kid." He motioned to his suit. "What you see here are creations of mine. I'm an inventor by trade, you see, and these are just some... personal toys I like to break out every now and again." He tilted his head to the side. "Now, if I have this straight, you kids came all the way down to the Amazon rainforest to help out a tribe of locals? How much are you kids getting paid for this?" He motioned to the uniformed men behind him with a chuckle. "'Cause, I certainly hope you're getting extra for hazard pay!"

"We don't get paid." Kristoff growled out, unease rising in his chest with every word the man said.

Anna, on the other hand, offered her usual beaming smile. "Yeah, we just like to help people, however we can."

"Is that so? Huh." Syndrome scratched at his chin. "So, how do you plan on helping these... Kayapo, or whatever."

"By getting you to stop your construction in this area and leaving the Kayapo and the rainforest alone." Kristoff set his face into a hard scowl. He was more than a little fed up with this particular mission and wanted it over with, as soon as possible. "Or else."

Syndrome nodded, lifting one arm to point it at one of the unfinished buildings. With his other hand, he activated a button, sending a red laser shooting from the wristband. In the blink of an eye, all that remained was a formless heap of melted concrete and metal. Turning back to the kids with his arms at his sides, Syndrome smirked. "I think I'll take the 'or else' option."

Kristoff swallowed hard, fear beginning to worm its way into every muscle in his body. So, wrong person to try and intimidate. He always picked _the worst_ people to try and intimidate. They were in _way_ over their head this time. Of course, before he could lose himself to his fight or flight reflex completely, Anna was gently pushing her elbow into his side and forcing him to move. With only a hint of reluctance, he stepped around, keeping Anna at his back as she turned to face Syndrome.

"You're really going to push this?" Syndrome raised a brow.

Anna was completely unfazed, nodding in reply. "We said we would help the Kayapo, and that's what we're going to do."

"Well, that settles it, then." Syndrome turned his head, calling out over his shoulder to the men assembled around him. "You heard the little lady! Get this stuff packed up! I want everything cleaned up by tomorrow's sundown, so _move_!"

"Yes, Sir!" Several men chorused before the entire group exploded into motion, men rushing to gather up equipment while others tended to the still disoriented injured. All the while, Kristoff and Anna blinked owlishly at the sudden flurry of activity, confusion written plainly on their faces.

"Wait, what?" Anna turned to look at Kristoff, who met her gaze with a mirrored expression. "What just happened?"

"I have no clue."

Syndrome laughed, activating his boots to jump closer to them. "Dude, I gotta be honest, I'm so totally blown away right now!" He put his fingers to his temple, smiling and laughing. "I'm, like, totally geeking out over this! Here I am, thinkin' no one's going to come bothering me all the way in Brazil, and then some kids show up and beat the ever loving _stuffing_ out of my men? I mean, that right there was awesome!" He turned, motioning to the teens, excitement still fueling his words and motions. "Then I come out here, turning a bunch of concrete and metal into nothing more than _slag_, and _what_ do you do? Step up, ready to go toe-to-toe with me! Gah, that's so awesome!"

Kristoff and Anna slightly relaxed their postures, wondering if they'd passed some sort of secret test, if it really was as easy as Anna made it out to be originally.

"Wow, I'm just- I can't even wrap my mind around this." Syndrome looked up, staring straight at Anna. "Are you sure _you_ aren't the super hero here?"

At that, Anna actually chuckled. "Nope, sorry, just your basic, average, all American teens over here."

"Geez, I mean, I'm all for sticking up for the little guy, but this?" Syndrome shook his head and laughed. "It takes a _crazy_ amount of courage to stare down a guy with a laser like that, kid."

"I just don't give up on things easily, I guess."

"Ever." Kristoff interjected, allowing his posture to relax further. "She means ever."

"Hey, stubbornness can be a blessing in the right situations." Syndrome waved his arms around. "I mean, it got me to where I am and it sure worked for you here! I'm seriously impressed by your guts, kid! _That's _what heroes are made of!"

Anna blushed slightly, waving off the compliment as best she could. "S-so, you're really just going to pack everything up and leave?"

"Of course! I was only going to use this place to test some of my larger inventions but I'm sure I can find somewhere else to do that." Syndrome shrugged, clasping his hands behind his back. "But, now that you mention it, I should get to overseeing the clean-up process and work out all the details. I'd really hate to provoke someone so dead set on getting it done!"

"Thank you, Syndrome. I'm sure the Kayapo will appreciate your understanding." Kristoff offered a weak smile, trying to shunt his uneasiness off to the side. It was probably just a side effect of that laser display but he really didn't trust the masked man.

"And we're sorry about hurting your, uh, workers." Anna frowned as a few of the men limped or were carried away.

"Pff, don't worry about it. I'll ensure they're properly compensated." Syndrome turned and started walking towards the domed building. "Well, I better get to it. Do you kids need a ride home?"

"No, we're set, thanks." Kristoff tapped Anna's shoulder, lowering his voice. "I still don't trust him."

"We'll warn the chief before we leave, just in case," she replied softly, despite not sharing her friend's misgivings. Personally, she was just glad everything was resolved peacefully. The two turned to leave the compound and were met with an energetic reindeer who eagerly started snuffing every inch of them to be sure they were okay.

From the entrance to the domed building, Syndrome watched the trio, hands still clasped behind his back and a smile on his lips. While it was something of a set back to abandon the prospective compound, the entire ordeal wasn't a complete loss, at least not yet.

"Mirage," he said, eyes still trained on the disappearing trio. Off to his right, after deactivating her cloaking device, a woman appeared, stepping closer and nodding her acknowledgment to his summons. "I'm going back to Headquaters. Oversee the process and make sure the communications relay is the last thing broken down; I want preliminary reports on those two ready for review by the time I land. Their names are Anna and Kristoff. Understand?"

"Of course, Sir." Mirage swept her gaze over the compound, her lilac eyes her only visible feature in the metallic gray, full body suit.

"I think she's the one, Mirage. _Exactly_ the type of person I've been looking for." Syndrome turned to enter the building, calling out over his shoulder. "Oh, and be sure to double check the clean-up. The last thing I need is Global Justice breathing down our necks because of this."

* * *

><p>Anna opened the door to her house, stifling a yawn. The trips down south to warmer climates really took it out of her and she was ready to take a shower and crawl into bed. At the sound of the TV on in the living room, she called out to her parents while heading towards the stairs. "Mom! Dad! I'm home!"<p>

"Oh, hold on, something came for you in the mail," her father said, grunting as he got off the couch and picked up a letter from the coffee table.

Anna furrowed her brows. "But it's Sunday."

"It came yesterday, after you left for the rodeo." He explained and handed her the letter, smiling a bit too wide. "I... forgot to give it to you this morning."

She was instantly suspicious until she checked the paper in her hand, a blush coming to her cheeks. "You mean, you didn't give it to me so Kristoff wouldn't be able to tease me mercilessly before I could even read it."

"That too," her father replied, accepting her hug with a chuckle.

"You're the best, Dad."

"You too, Sweetheart." He hugged her tightly before releasing her, fixing her with a slightly serious look. "Now, don't be waving these letters around in front of your enemies. I don't want to find out my daughter was frozen solid because her arch enemy crush got jealous over a secret admirer."

Anna rolled her eyes. "Okay, so, correction: you didn't want to give Kris the opportunity to tease me mercilessly before _you_ could."

Her father shrugged, still smiling. "That's what fathers do."

"Yeah, sure." Anna turned to head up the stairs. "Love you, Dad."

"Love you too."

In the safety of her room, Anna threw her mission bag in a corner and used her house key to open the envelope after scanning the front again. Yep, same Canadian address written in the same beautiful cursive and the same blocky writing for the return address; this was definitely from her admirer. Pulling the letter free, Anna sat on her bed and read through it, a small smile on her face.

She read it once. Twice. Three times. After the fourth, she sent the paper beside her, now frowning slightly.

She felt a little sad after the first letter but this one intensified that sensation. The way the letter read- despite being just as flattering as the first- reminded her all too much of the sinking feeling she'd experienced on the volcano, when she thought she'd shoved her foot into her mouth beyond redemption. It was as if whoever wrote the letter not only recognized they had no chance but resigned themselves to the point that each letter written was like cutting off a piece of their heart and tossing it away to lessen the pain.

That was a really horrible feeling for someone to endure.

Anna got up from her bed and pulled out a spiral notebook and pen, setting both on her desk. She'd take her shower- because _geez_ did she need one after running around in the rainforest for a couple hours- and think about what to say, but she was definitely replying. It would be difficult, of course; she'd have to be honest without being mean, compassionate without getting carried away, but she couldn't just ignore whoever this was.

They were probably a really good person and deserved to be acknowledged, even if she couldn't return their affection.

* * *

><p>Stepping from his personal aircraft, Syndrome rubbed at his upper lip and sniffed, breathing in the warm tropical air. His headquarters was situated on a private island along the equator, which meant a pleasant- if a bit warm- year 'round temperature. While it was good to be back, he still had a considerable amount of work to plow through before he could consider himself remotely caught up to his present timeline.<p>

Still, he was calling the day a win.

Activating the device built into his left wristband, he waited for Mirage's face to fill the screen before speaking. "So, those reports."

"Hard copies are waiting on your desk, an electronic copy has been send to your e-mail, and I have the highlights in front of me," she replied in her slight accent, a grin curling her lips.

"Good. Hit me with the highlights and I'll look over the rest later." He stepped into the main building, turning to grab the elevator up to his office.

"Anna Andersen and Kristoff Bjorgman, both were born in Arendelle, Colorado and have lived there all their lives. Friends since childhood, both are only children, active participants in several of their school's extracurricular activities, and well known in their hometown for providing assistance to any who need it."

"So she wasn't kidding." Syndrome smirked.

"They also advertise their services on a website operated by a member of their community, a Mr. Oaken. Their portfolio of completed missions is... quite extensive." Mirage shook her head slightly. "They've been on every continent and in most countries around the world. They've even been granted special recognition by many governments to allow them to complete their missions uninhibited by traditional laws. They pretty much have a pass to come and go from whatever country they please and their support network spans the globe." She paused. "They have quite the following, Sir."

Syndrome threw his head back and laughed, punching the air in victory. "Excellent! I had a feeling; this is just _too_ good!"

"Sir, I feel I must caution you; they seem to adhere pretty rigorously to a certain set of morals and practices." Mirage paused, unsure how to word her warning. "I... don't believe they will be entirely complicit given our methods."

"Mirage, my dear, if there is one thing this business has taught me, it's that any given person can be persuaded to abandon their beliefs, provided there is ample reason." He stepped out of the elevator into a room where one wall, from side-to-side and floor-to-ceiling, was an active lava flow. "Money, fame, power- _every_ person has a price." He stopped at the center of the room, hitting a button on his wristband to split the lava flow and admit him to his office. "I just have to figure out what hers is."

"Another thing, Sir; they do seem quite inseparable."

"Then I'll buy him, too." Syndrome strode forward, directing his attention back to the screen. "Thank you, Mirage. Report back once the clean-up is finished. I'll need your help overcoming this slight setback. We still have a schedule to keep."

Mirage nodded just before Syndrome cut the communication, his gaze sweeping up as the last of the lava split away, revealing his work space as lights flickered to life. On the large screen before him was the Omnidroid schematic, his crowning achievement, and it still needed a few more tweaks before it was perfect.

* * *

><p>Author's Note: I feel like, if this fic was the bonus round to a CinemaSins video, I'd break the counter with the amount of random references I make. Can't help it; I'm a dork. Anyway, I know this is late and I'm <em>really<em> sorry. Long story short- the past week or so has been pretty friggin' horrible and I'm cranky as shit, you can read me complain about it on my profile. I feel really bad I wasn't able to get this out on time. Typing most of this and operating a mouse with my off hand is an interesting experience that I really kinda hate, to be honest. But, I'm not officially putting the fic on hiatus right now because I will be trying to work on the next chapter. There's no way I can have it out on my regular schedule though, so I don't know when it will be posted. I also have another fic that badly needs an update, so... priorities.

HOWEVER, despite how shitty the week's been, I really appreciate your faves, follows, reads, reviews, and well wishes; they have seriously been the bright spots of an otherwise miserable week. A special thank you to only-looking for being an all around awesome beta and to lauraknatt for being my inspiration. Again, I am sorry about the turn of events, but I do appreciate the support. Hopefully, you enjoyed this chapter, even though there wasn't a bunch of Elsanna fun. If it's any consolation, after next chapter, we'll be into the full swing of things, so there should be at least a little Elsanna every chapter from then on. Again, Happy Holidays to everyone!


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